Workshop Introduction

The plastic bottle version of this activity is super user-friendly, but it also uses plastic. So, I tried to create a glass and fabric version. I used an old olive jar and a mesh shopping bag. I grew sprouts through the mesh shopping bag. This worked well (although I recommend trimming the fabric so that it will not wick away the water out of the jar!), but is more dangerous because of the glass. It is also more expensive and temperamental because of the fabric. However, I am confident that students can engineer some creative solutions!

Aloha, would fabric paint work? Maybe dilute it a little and have students paint it on with a paint brush. I should try it out.

Kanesa shared this idea at NMEA in Long Beach, CA. Ohio Sea Grant implemented it during an immersive week-long Water and Wildlife Training for Educators workshop at OSU Stone Laboratory on Lake Erie. Reduction in single use plastics was one of the workshop themes; participants ended the workshop by making these as part of a Make It-Take It session.

I experimented with using air stones and a bubbler that I bought at the local store because I was concerned with keeping my fish alive. It turned out that I did not need the bubbler, but it might be needed if the ecosystem is overcrowded—especially if you use aquatic plants inside the bottle, which photosynthesize during the day (supplying oxygen to the system) but not at night (when their biomass continues to respire and may consume so much oxygen that the fish cannot survive).

This activity is great for addressing the force of waves on moving sand, and it starts to get students thinking about they way we build on the shore. But, there are a lot of social and community concerns to think about as well. Here is a short 2-minute video from UH News with Dr. Chip Fletcher talking about these issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp2txQ0690o

I am wondering what size container and paddle work best for this activity?

Check out the original SEA lesson plan!
https://coast.noaa.gov/psc/sea/grade/lesson-4-sustaining-our-ocean-reso…

Check out unit one about how the Hawaiian Island chain formed!
https://coast.noaa.gov/psc/sea/grade/unit-1-island-formations.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/science/22obfish.html

Check out the original SEA Hungry Reef Fish Activity PDF: https://coast.noaa.gov/psc/sea/grade/lesson-3-hungry-reef-fish.html

https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/62317main_ICS_Clouds.pdf

I was excited to see this photo on instagram yesterday. It is super interesting to look at traditional roofing styles. As pictured in Fig. 1A (Norway), the Faeroe Islands also use traditional, living grass roofs. Faeroe is a North Atlantic archipelago located 200 miles (320 km) north-northwest of the United Kingdom and about halfway between Norway and Iceland—are an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

If students watch the Ocean Today storm surge video prior to the activity, they can start planning their storm-resistant features in advance.

Students can also bring in cardboard and other materials to help with gathering supplies (and so that they have the needed materials for their designs).

Here is a URL link to the Hawaiʻi Magazine article (which is a PDF above):
https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/hawaiians-have-more-200-words-ra…

See the original lesson plan attached here. In it, you'll find further reading and additional activities such as a matching game.

Researchers are probing the depths (2.8km) of Earth's crust and finding bacteria living in the sulfate-rich waters.

https://www.the-scientist.com/features/life-thrives-within-the-earths-c…

As an additional source, attached it the original SEA lesson plan that includes some suggested assessment tools!

If they noted that melting icebergs don't cause the sealevel to rise, they were correct!

Many people might not know the difference between icebergs and glaciers, but now that your students have investigated them, they know that melting glaciers are contributing to sea level rise. On the other hand, the melting of Icebergs does not affect sea level.

Meli Wraps are commercial quality wraps, lovingly designed and invented on the island of Kaua'i. They are made with beeswax, tree rosin, and plant oils. They work amazing, and last a long time. Unlike the beeswax wraps made in this activity, the Meli Wraps will not crack or pill. Check them out https://meli-wraps.myshopify.com/collections/all

In developing this activity, we had hoped that permanent markers would be a good alternative to fabric markers. Unfortunately, permanent markers run when ironed with the beeswax... and this happens even if you put the fabric colored with permanent markers through the washer and dryer first.