Where Does Your Trash Go?

At Girlstart After School, one man’s trash is our science experiment! This week, girls discovered the detrimental effects that landfills can have on nearby towns and developed their own solutions to the problem of pollutants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to understand the issue, girls first observed a model of a town located by a landfill full of “trash” (red-colored marshmallows). When a “rainstorm” hit the area, the runoff moved harmful pollutants into the town. Girls soaked a cotton ball in the runoff water and examined the presence of these pollutants, represented by the cotton’s red tint. Consensus: Pollutants are pretty gross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls began to brainstorm ideas for an improved landfill design. Each group was given a budget of $500 to work with. Each group used different planning strategies, from drawing concept designs to voting on which materials to use. Every design was unique. One group of innovators even used the supplies to build a solar-powered cleanup robot! After purchasing their supplies and building their landfill protectors, groups tested their structures. Finally, they evaluated their landfills and listed possible improvements.

At Girlstart After School, girls are creating solutions by thinking outside of the budget and exploring different approaches to issues like pollution!

Exploring Soil

This week, To-Go girls learned all about soil! How many years does it take to form one inch of soil? Do all soils feel the same? Besides black and brown, what other colors of soil exist? Girls discussed the answers to these and other questions, then began the week’s activity. Keep reading to test your own knowledge of the upper crust!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each group was given a clod of natural soil, which they placed in water to observe. Girls noted objects that floated to the surface, including twigs, leaves, and air bubbles! After writing down their observations about soil composition, girls were able to analyze and identify the origin of 5 shoeprints. Each print was made by a character, such as a marine biologist, a potter, or an archaeologist, and included a soil sample.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After observing the texture of the soil in each print, girls noted the soil color and structure. Finally, they matched footprints and characters and gave evidence from their soil samples to support their thoughts. This activity required girls to collaborate, present evidence for their hypotheses, and come to conclusions. This week, To-Go students showcased skills that will help them be successful as future soil scientists!

Can you answer some of the questions we asked our girls this week? Tweet us @girlstart if any of these questions had you stumped!

– One inch of soil takes 1000 years to form.
– Not all soils feel the same! It depends on the amount of clay, organic matter, and other components contained in that type of soil.
– Soil can be red, yellow, white, and gray!

Fossil Detectives

This week at After School, Girlstart students had the opportunity to learn about the exciting process of paleontological excavation! Ancient information contained in fossils allows scientists to understand life on Earth millions of years ago.  After they brushed up on their knowledge of the four types of fossils, students were ready to dig in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each group used the appropriate tools to carefully separate clay “layers” of the Earth containing different fossil types. Girls worked together to identify the fossil type, as well as possible environments and conditions on the Earth at the time of the fossil’s creation. This required teamwork and critical thinking. One group even decided to conduct some quick research in a fossil book. They compiled a list of possible dinosaurs whose footprints matched the trace fossil they unearthed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working with fossils created millions of years ago can be tricky, but Girlstart girls are learning inferential and research skills that will help them on the path to paleontology!