Our Y2 children set up a comparative test by making lego houses and placing them into two trays, with an ice cube, to create mini-environments.
They covered one of the trays with cling film in order to recreate the effect of greenhouses gases, before placing both mini-environments in a sunny place.
The children then made predictions about which ice cube would melt the quickest, and collected the results.
The children discovered that the mini-environment covered with cling film was warmer than the other one. They learned that as it was warmed by the sun the layer of cling film trapped the heat inside the environment so that it could not escape.
This meant that the temperature inside this environment increased, which made the ice melt faster.
This then led to a brilliant discussion about global warming and the sorts of things we can do to help our environment.
