C3 Student Clubs may occasionally find that, over the course of their year-long projects, they encounter lulls in activity, for example, while waiting for administrative approval or for certain materials to arrive.
To help address these slow periods, C3 has compiled these activities that can either be completed in one or two meetings, or can be completed in a few half-meetings. Please note that C3 will not be able to provide any additional supplies for these activities.
C3 encourages Clubs to explore a themed topic in their one-year projects (e.g., cafeteria waste, energy conservation, etc.). Accordingly, these activities have been separated by theme below. If possible, find a quick activity that relates to your Club’s current efforts.
These activities are saved in the “Single Meeting Ideas” folder on your Club Network Resource CD. You can access them directly, or by opening this document (also saved on your CD) and clicking the links below.
Note: Don’t forget to look back at the other C3 project guides (on our blog or on your CD) for more ideas!
Land & Waste
- Pollution Solution – Former Surface Sleuths Club Action Project
- Supplemental Project List – New Clubs’ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Rethink! Project
- Surface Permeability Audit – Former Surface Sleuths Club Action Project
- Urban Heat Island Audit – Former Surface Sleuths Club Action Project
- Waste Wisdom Game – New Clubs’ Waste Audit
Nonpoint source water pollution (NPS) is a serious problem in urban areas. Students will learn about the causes of NPS pollution and perform an experiment to test how ground cover affects the amount of NPS pollution in runoff.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)
The projects on this list are not very time consuming, and might complement your other recycling, reducing, and/or reusing activities well.
1 – 3 meetings with ongoing maintenance
Surface permeability is a topic that relates to water runoff and land use issues, particularly in an urban setting. This audit helps students assess the surface permeability around their school. If you are doing something with rain barrels or native plants, this activity may be appropriate.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)
Students will perform an experiment that demonstrates how some surfaces and materials in a city absorb the sun’s heat and some reflect it. They will use the results of the experiment to understand the urban heat island effect.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)
This game encourages students to think about their own perceptions of waste and recycling, and allows for discussion of misconceptions and more involved topics. It is also a collection of great recycling/trash facts.
1 meeting
Air & Energy
- Guess Which Gas…? And Game Cards – New Clubs’ Air & Energy Audit
- Getting Around Town And Game Cards – New Clubs’ Alternative Drivers’ Ed Project
- Energy Flows Demonstration – Switch It! Club Action Project
- Seeing CO2 – Tailpipe Teachers Club Action Project
- Trapped – Tailpipe Teachers Club Action Project
- What’s In a Flamin Hot? – Lunch and Learn Club Action Project
- Geographic Origins of Food – Lunch and Learn Club Action Project
This hands-on activity provides an introduction to the greenhouse effect, natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change, and other components of Earth’s atmosphere.
1 meeting
By participating in this activity, Club members will be able to explain the pros and cons of multiple types of transportation in Chicago, considering issues such as access, time, cost, and environmental impact.
1 meeting
Students take the role of organisms in a very large food chain or web, looking at how energy transfers from plants to animals to fuel sources.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)
This activity helps students visualize how much carbon is put into the atmosphere during a normal drive.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)
This activity helps students visualize how CO2 becomes trapped in the atmosphere.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)
This activity helps Club members recognize the origins of some components of the foods they eat everyday, helping them recognize how far their food must be transported (in connection with the fossil fuels that power transit).
1 meeting
Researchers at Iowa State University developed this list of foods commonly found in Illinois’s cafeterias and their points of origin. Students can determine how many food miles are associated with their favorite lunches using this activity.
1 meeting
Water
- Drop in the Bucket – New Clubs’ Every Drop Counts Water Audit
- Putting the Pieces Together with Correct Pieces and Incorrect Pieces – New Clubs’ Every Drop Counts Water Audit
- Surface Permeability Audit – Former Surface Sleuths Club Action Project
This activity helps students understand the value of water by providing a visual representation of the amount of potable fresh water available in the world, then connects this issue directly to water use in Chicago.
1 meeting
This puzzle teaches students about water use in Chicago, while providing valuable facts that connect water use to other conservation issues like energy conservation and land management.
1 meeting
See description under Land & Waste section.
1 meeting (with some teacher planning
Other
- In the News
- Guest Speakers
It is not hard to find environmental news these days. Students are encouraged to look through popular media (newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc.) to find information about a conservation topic of their choosing. This worksheet will help them process and share this information, and is easily edited (also included on your CD in Word).
1 meeting or more
If you can plan far enough in advance, a guest speaker is a great way to engage students in an exciting meeting in between projects. This worksheet is an optional way to help students keep track of what they’re learning, and is easily edited (also included on your CD in Word).
1 meeting (with some teacher planning)