Interactive Primary Newsletter 21 -

Interactive Primary Newsletter 21

Living things and the processes of life
Interaction of living things with their environment

Explain how living things and the environment can be protected, and give examples.
Level C

‘It droppeth as the gentle rain’
Many of us like to think that rain refreshes the land and helps promote plant life. This is generally true but in some areas of the world rain can cause damage to local vegetation - so called acid rain . Children can be asked what they think has an acid taste; vinegar, lemon or grapefruit are good examples. Acid drops from the 1p sweetie tray are another good example of this sharp or ‘acid’ taste.
How pure is the rain falling in our garden or school plot? Testing the acidity of a sample of rain water, or tap water, can be carried out in the classroom easily. This can be done using a grade of litmus paper, which will, by a change of colour, show the acidity of your sample. But it is much more fun to make your own test strips. What are needed are a red cabbage and a little hot water. The simplest method is to chop or tear the inner leaves of the cabbage into smallish strips, place in a bowl and pour over hot water. In a few minutes the water will be coloured blue. Cut a few strips of blotting paper, soak them in the cabbage water and allow to dry.
Try one of the strips in the vinegar. Is there a colour change? Use this colour change as a benchmark and try other household items. A few suggestions are soap, coke, tap water, rainwater and toothpaste. Also how about testing one of those tablets advertised to relieve ‘stomach acid’? A chart could be drawn to show the relative strengths of various acid substances. We have shown a number of other plants and vegetables that could be used as indicators. Why not try petals from garden plants? Red rose petals work well.
Be-safe! lists those plants that should not be handled by children as well as a list of those that are safe to collect and use. See Newsletter 13 .

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Interactive Primary Newsletter 21
Living things and the processes of life Interaction of living things with their environment
Explain how living things and the environment can be protected, and give examples.	Level C
‘It droppeth as the gentle rain’ Many of us like to think that rain refreshes the land and helps promote plant life. This is generally true but in some areas of the world rain can cause damage to local vegetation - so called acid rain . Children can be asked what they think has an acid taste; vinegar, lemon or grapefruit are good examples. Acid drops from the 1p sweetie tray are another good example of this sharp or ‘acid’ taste. How pure is the rain falling in our garden or school plot? Testing the acidity of a sample of rain water, or tap water, can be carried out in the classroom easily. This can be done using a grade of litmus paper, which will, by a change of colour, show the acidity of your sample. But it is much more fun to make your own test strips. What are needed are a red cabbage and a little hot water. The simplest method is to chop or tear the inner leaves of the cabbage into smallish strips, place in a bowl and pour over hot water. In a few minutes the water will be coloured blue. Cut a few strips of blotting paper, soak them in the cabbage water and allow to dry. Try one of the strips in the vinegar. Is there a colour change? Use this colour change as a benchmark and try other household items. A few suggestions are soap, coke, tap water, rainwater and toothpaste. Also how about testing one of those tablets advertised to relieve ‘stomach acid’? A chart could be drawn to show the relative strengths of various acid substances. We have shown a number of other plants and vegetables that could be used as indicators. Why not try petals from garden plants? Red rose petals work well. Be-safe! lists those plants that should not be handled by children as well as a list of those that are safe to collect and use. See Newsletter 13 .