Activities
 
Wind Energy Extravaganza   Jim and Nancy Barbour USDA Soils Lab
  • How do those big wind turbines work? See for yourself as we build models and actually generate electricity! It's sure to be an energizing activity!
Are Greenhouse Gases Green?   Sylke Boyd University of Minnesota, Morris
  • Just what are those greenhouse gases, anyway? And why is our Earth not as cold as the Moon or scorching as Venus? We will experiment with little models of the atmosphere and find out how the Earth keeps us cool.
Biomass -- there's energy in there!   Cory Marquart West Central Research and Outreach Center
  • What is biomass, anyway?!?!? We will find out -- and see who is the best at the Biomass Relay!
Carbon Dioxide in Water: It puts Fizz in Soda and Acid in the Ocean   Jennifer Goodnough University of Minnesota, Morris
  • We will explore what happens when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water. We will measure change in pH, discuss the 'bubbles' in soda and discuss the possible impact of using the oceans as a carbon dioxide sink.
Sustainability can be fun!   Len Keeler University of Minnesota, Morris
  • A strategy game illustrating some of the complexities of conservation and sustainability using LEGO building blocks.
Trash or Treasure?   Nancy Carpenter University of Minnesota, Morris
  • "One man's trash is another one's treasure". When you make a decision about throwing something in the trash, recycling it, or finding another use for it, you are continuing a long history.  We will see if we might find some treasure in the trash!
Writing and Seeing:  Starting a Nature Journal   Vicki Graham University of Minnesota, Morris

  • What do you wonder about when you see an oak leaf, a crow, a mouse, or a snowflake?  What do you want to say about what you see and wonder?  In your new nature journal (given to each participant) you will explore the natural world, writing short descriptions and poems about the animals and birds and plants you find around you.
Biodiversity Buddies   Peter Wyckoff University of Minnesota, Morris
  • Don't prune the tree of life! We will take a whirlwind, hands-on tour of the diversity of life and discuss ways to preserve endangered species.