Mark off a 1 square meter (or yard) section of grass. Scatter a selection of colored toothpicks in the marked off area – you will want to count the number of toothpicks of each color before you scatter them.
Provide a group of students with ~15 seconds to pick up as many toothpicks as they can find. Count and record the number of each color that was collected. Repeat this exercise several more times.
After returning inside, students can graph the data. You should find that the green toothpicks were found in smaller numbers, especially in the early trials.
Natural Selection: Can you find me?
Related Posts:
Earth Day: Picture THIS: Taking Human Impact Seriously Grass scraped away by winter snowplowing. I love this idea, presented in the March 2010 NSTA Science Scope Journal. In it, studen… Read More
Natural Selection: Can you find me?Mark off a 1 square meter (or yard) section of grass. Scatter a selection of colored toothpicks in the marked off area – you will want to count the n… Read More
Mutation GamePlace a plate of candy or beads in the center of the room.Each team of students has a nest (a paper cup or plate). Each team also has a means of… Read More
Who Dirtied the WaterWho Dirtied the Water is an excellent activity found in the Access Excellence Fellows Collection. In short......you begin with some nice cl… Read More
Earth Day: The LoraxThe Lorax is a great story to share with your students around Earth Day (or any other time, for that matter).There is a video available, but I'm parti… Read More