![](/staticfiles/ej2020.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/EJ2020_WWW-Icon-Camera-1.svg"){kind=icon}
Connecting Experience
Goal 13 – Climate Action
The negative effects of climate change are already visible in so many aspects of life. Offsetting the impact of climate change starts with education, awareness, and individual action. We can all do something small to offset our footprint on this planet that we call home.
Tasks
Climate Island
Wake up points
| Age Group: 7+ | Amount of people: 10+ |
Time: 20-30 minutes
Objective:
To learn about the effects of climate change and think of things we can do to slow it down.
Material:
Open Space to run around in
Instructions:
Set up
Begin by going through the different instructions several times with the group so they can get familiar with them.
The centre of the room is “Land” and touching any of the exterior walls is “Sea”.
The leader will shout different words, and the group will have to run to the area or do the action which corresponds to that word.
- Land – Run to the centre
- Sea – Run to the walls
- Drought – Lie down
- Tropical storm – Spin in a circle
- Wildfire – Run to the sea
- Sea levels rising – Clump in the middle of the room
- Freeze//unfreeze – group must stay still until the leader says unfreeze
- (x amount) on an island – Get into groups of that number
When the group are used to the instructions, begin to eliminate people, people should be eliminated quite quickly until no one is left
Eliminations
- Sea levels rising – everyone on the edge of the group is eliminated
- Wildfire – the last 5 to reach the walls are out
- X amount on an island – anyone not in a group is out
- Land/sea – last people to reach the area are out
- Freeze – anyone who moves is out
Discussion
Once everyone is eliminated, begin a discussion with the group about the effects of climate change, and the impact it can have on different communities. Explain that there are changes that can be made to slow down adverse effects. Have the participants get into groups and come up with something they can do and an action to go alongside it, e.g. Plant a tree – mime digging.
When each group have come up with their action, have them present it and teach it to the other groups.
Replay
Begin the game again, but at any point a participant can shout out one of their actions. The more of the groups actions that happen, the less often the leader calls out things like wildfire, so less participants are eliminated. Play for a few minutes, anyone who hasn’t been eliminated after this time are the winners or “survivors” of climate island.
Debrief:
Speak with the group about how their actions affected the course of the game.
Talk about how they can use these actions in their everyday life and what impact they can make.
Polar Huts
Wake up points
| Age Group: 11+ | Amount of people: 10+ |
Time: 20-30 minutes
Objective:
To learn how climate change affects some parts of the world more than others.
Material:
Items to build shelters from (chairs, blankets, tarps, rope etc), something to mark out space per patrol (cones, rope etc.)
Instructions:
Split the group into even teams.
Assign each team an area of the room and a set amount of space (their ice cap), it should be enough room for them to all fit and move freely.
Each group should also have a set of building materials in their space.
Staying within their area the group have a set amount of time to build a shelter to protect them from an oncoming storm.
If a member of the group steps off their icecap, they will be eliminated.
Once the time has elapsed leaders and eliminated players can simulate a storm (making wind, knocking objects into shelter etc.).
Repeat the game again but shrink the space to half the size and give half the time.
Continue until there is a winning team/person.
Debrief :
- How did you find the experience of your space getting smaller?
- Do you think there is anything that can be done to protect the polar regions?
- Apart from the polar regions, what areas do you think are more or less affected by climate change?
- Do you think your community feels the effects? How?
Recycling relay
Look around points
| Age Group: 7+ | Amount of people: 10+ |
Time: 20-30 min
Objective:
To learn about the rules of recycling and how to do it in their community.
Material:
Open space to run around in, different type of garbage or cards with the name of the garbage on it, 4 bins labelled “reuse”, “recycle”, “trash”, “compost” (if your country has a specific colour for the bin use it!)
Instructions:
Split the group into teams, with enough rubbish that each participant gets at least one turn.
The teams will race each other, starting by grabbing a piece of garbage, then going through an obstacle course which finishes at their team’s set of bins. They must put their piece of garbage into the correct bin and then run back to their team so the next person can go.
The team that finishes first is awarded 5 points and then each team gets a point per piece of rubbish they’ve placed in the correct bin. The winner is the team with the most points.
Debrief:
- Is it easy to recycle?
- Can you do it everywhere? At home? At school? On the street?
- What do you do when you see trash on the ground?
- Do you think everyone knows what the right bin to use is?
- What could you do to help people learn what bin to use?
Climate Quiz
Look around points
| Age Group: 11+ | Amount of people: 5+ |
Time: 30 minutes
Objective:
To know and be aware of the importance of the fight against global warming.
Material:
A buzzer for each team (they can choose any object that makes a sound, or a sound they can make themselves)
Instructions:
This is a quiz made up of statements that need to be completed by the group. Depending on the knowledge of your group, you can adapt how many options you give, or just read the statement and have the participants offer their own response.
You could set the room up like a quiz show and have teams buzz in when they have an answer or turn it into a race where participants have to run up and back when they think they have the answer.
Here are a few ideas for questions, with answers highlighted, but feel free to add more or take some away depending on your group!
Questions:
1) Which Arctic animal do many scientists consider most vulnerable to extinction due to global warming?
- Toucans
- Tropical frogs
- Polar bears
- Narwhals
2) During what time of day does air travel have the least damaging effect on the environment?
- Daytime
- Night time
- They are equally damaging
3) How long does it take for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to disperse?
- 10 years
- 1 year
- 50 years
- 100 years
4) The atmosphere is warming because humans…
- Buy too many radiators
- Release radioactive particles
- Use resources which increase the greenhouse effect
- Cause acid rain
5) The main reason why the sea level can rise is…
- a) There will be more rain and therefore more water in the oceans
- b) That water expands as it warms up
- Icebergs around the North Pole will melt
- The reasons are not known
6) The greenhouse gas that humans release the most is…
- CFCs
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Ozone (O3)
7) The biggest problem of deforestation from a climate point of view is….
- The removal of trees that would have consumed CO2
- Energy consumption at slaughter
- Deforestation has nothing to do with the greenhouse effect!
- Emissions when biomass is burned
8) What is the most energy-efficient type of freight transport?
- Rail transport
- River transport
- Road transport
9) What consumes the most energy in the house?
- Cooking meals
- Heating
- Lighting
10) Due to a warmer climate, animal and plant life…
- Will move further south and towards the sea
- Will move further north and at higher altitudes
- Will move but we don’t know where or how
- Will not be affected because plants and animals are robust
11) Deforestation is…
- When trees are felled or burned without being replaced by new trees
- When trees are felled or burned and replaced by new trees
- Forest-related science
- Forestry (forest exploitation)
Tawashi Sponge
ACT points
| Age Group: 7+ | Amount of people: 10+ |
Time: 4 hours
Objective:
To make their own reusable sponge, minimising waste and turning something old into something new.
Material:
- One wood board 20 x 20 cm
- A ruler or graduated square to measure
- A pen
- About thirty long flat-headed nails (minimum length 3 cm)
- A hammer
- A pair of scissors
- Fabric cut into strips (old T-Shirt, socks, wool tights, sheets, etc.)
Instructions:
Tawashi sponges originate from Japan, they are reusable sponges made from old fabrics. They are washable and very easy to make. These could be used for camp, or sold at a local market to raise funds for your group!
Step 1: Make a Weaving machine
- Draw a 16x16cm square on the board
- Put a nail 3 cm away from each corner
- Then put 1 nail every 2 cm
Step 2: Make the strips of fabric
- Cut 14 strips of fabric, 3cm wide
Step 3: Tawashi weaving
- Place a strip on a nail on one horizontal side and stretch it on the opposite nail. Repeat along the board with the next 6 bands
- Place the next strip on the first nail on the vertical side and pass over and under the successive horizontal strips, so as to form a weave
- Then inversely for the next strip which passes under and over in order to continue weaving
- Repeat alternately until there are no more nails
Step 4: Closing the Tawashi
- Start from an angle and catch the first loop
- Pass the second loop inside the first loop, then pass the next loop inside, until the last loop
- Repeat this last loop in itself to finish
Eco Bricks
ACT points
| Age Group: 11+ | Amount of people: 3+ |
Time: 2-4 weeks
Objective:
To observe the amount of waste they produce over a set period of time, and to learn to repurpose this waste into something useful for their community.
Material:
Plastic bottle, waste plastic, silicone sealant//cement (depending on building project) packing stick
Instructions:
Have each participant collect a single use plastic bottle, ideally one that is easy to find in your community. For building purposes it’s important that each patrol or group choose the same style of bottle. Set them the task of keeping track of the non-compostable, non-recyclable waste they create over the next 2 weeks. You can have them pack it into their bottles at home or during a meeting.
Participants should be made aware of how to create a brick that is suitable for building before they begin. Information can be found on
Plan what you want to create from your eco bricks, you could make a bench for your local park, furniture for your meeting room, flower pots, anything you can think of! You could make smaller pieces in patrols, or work as a unit to create a large structure. Think about where the structure will go and if you need to get permission to place it there.
If you need more bricks for your project participants could collect waste from their friends and family (offering them a chance to start discussions with those around them about climate change!) or you could continue creating bricks over a longer period of time. Perhaps participants could work with other groups in their community to teach them how to make eco bricks and collect the bricks for their project!
Discussion
- Where you surprised at how much/little waste you produced?
- What are things you could do to produce less waste?
- What are things companies or supermarkets could do to create products with less waste?
- What other things could you make from eco bricks?
