Life Cycle of Stuff

"Where does that pencil you are using come from?"

"How did that t-shirt you are wearing go from being cotton to a finished t-shirt in a store?"

These and other questions were answered as students explored the "Life Cycle of Stuff" with Change is Simple.  Change is Simple is an organization dedicated to instilling lifelong social and environmental responsibility.

Students began to look at items in a new way by thinking about what natural resources are used to create products.  Students were first tasked with matching a product with a picture of a natural resource that was used to create it.

T-shirts are made from cotton.

Cans are made from aluminum.

Trees are used for making the paper in books.

Wool from sheep is used for sweaters.

Bee's wax is used for candles.

Next students learned the steps that it takes for natural resources to become finished products in stores: natural resources, processing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, and usage.  Students played a memory game whereby each group was given a product and the group needed to find the cards that represented the steps needed to create their finished product.  

Congratulations goes to the t-shirt group for finding all of their cards first!