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Background: Advanced agricultural technology has enabled the world to feed many of its people. With a fixed resource base and an ever-increasing number of people to feed from that base, an individual's portion becomes increasingly diminished. It is, therefore, essential to protect the quality of our water, land, and air for new and future generations.
Objective: Hands-on activity to highlight the need for protection of our natural resources.
Plan: Consider the earth an apple. Carry out the following sequence: Slice an apple into quarters and set aside three of the quarters. They represent the oceans of the world. With the fraction you have left (1/4), slice this section in half and set aside one piece. The portion set aside represents the land area that is inhospitable to humans such as the polar regions, deserts, swamps, and high mountain areas. The fraction left (1/8) represents the land area occupied by humans, but do not fully utilized for agriculture. Slice the 1/8 piece into four sections and set aside three. What fraction do you have left? (1/32). The remaining 3/32 represent areas too rocky, wet, or cold to actually produce food. Additional areas also contain the cities, suburban sprawl, highways etc. where people live but do not necessarily grow food. Carefully peel the other 1/32 slice of earth. This small peel represents the area used for agricultural purposes. It is a very thin skin of the earth's crust upon which humankind depends on for crops. Less than five feet deep, it is a fixed amount of food-producing land which is supporting a growing population of humans.
Testing, Grading, and Evaluation: Talk about various land reclamation projects like swamp and desert reclamation for agricultural use. Emphasize the need to preserve and protect the small area of agriculturally viable land for future generations.
Primary Course: Social Studies
Applicable Grades: 3 - 6
Materials Needed: Apples, plastic picnic knives.
Related Courses: Science
Time Required: Variable
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