Do our actions affect other locations?

    I "won" 20 million dollars and shared it equally with my students! The catch? They had to "build" something that we could use either in every day life or to make life more fun.  Students created some masterpieces! We had a mansion, a sports complex, a few amusement parks and more!

   When I posed the question to the class, they were confident that the choices from one location affects another location.  We had general conversations about it, then I asked them to work through a simulation with me.

   I showed the class a map of the Mississippi River.  We counted the larger cities that are located on its banks.  I asked students to place their masterpieces on the banks of our simulated Mississippi River.

   We began our simulation in St. Paul.  We had a discussion about what the river might look like in St. Paul.  We decided it would look very natural and clear because it seemed like no one wanted to build there!

   By the time we made it to St. Louis, it was a different story.  As we visited the sports complex and amusement park, we discussed the affects humans are having on the environment-specifically the river.  We placed blocks to show the affects in the river.  As the water flowed south, the pollution grew and grew, until finally, the students were gasping with horror!  The Gulf of Mexico received all the pollution from each city along the way.  

   One student said, " Can I move to St. Paul?"

   We ended with a discussion about how to minimize our impact on the environment.  Students came up with ideas such as using renewable energy, compost in, and recycling! Small changes can make a big difference!