Science Activity

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Science Activity — Global Warming Skit

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

Cast

Atmosphere
Cars (two)

Earth
First Heat

Greenhouse Gases (three)

Narrator

Plane

Second Heat

Space

Sun

We encourage you to adapt, refine, and
expand the skit to fit your children and
their audience. You might, for example,
want to introduce a new segment
mentioning the Industrial Revolution
and how it may have increased the
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Suggested Script

Actors will perform actions as they are
spoken by the narrator.

Narrator: What is the greenhouse

effect? How does it work?
Well, first of all, the sun
warms the Earth.

Enter Sun. Enter Earth. Enter two Heats.

The Sun sends both Heats toward the

Earth.

Sun:	I'm the sun, and I warm

the Earth.

Narrator: Without the sun, people
wouldn't be able to live
here. But too much heat
from the sun isn't good,
either. The Earth sends
some heat into space and
that helps keep the Earth
from getting too hot.

Enter Space.

One Heat goes toward Space.

First Heat: I'm heat, and I go back
into space.

Space:	I'm space, and some of the

heat comes back to me.

Narrator: Most of the Earth's heat is
trapped by the atmosphere.
Like the glass roof of a
greenhouse, the atmosphere
keeps most of the heat from
going back into space.

Enter Atmosphere.

The Atmosphere traps most of the

second Heat.

Atmosphere: I'm atmosphere, and I keep
most of the heat from going
back into space.

Second Heat: I'm most of the heat, and I
stay in the atmosphere and
warm it.

Narrator: The atmosphere contains
substances called gases.

Enter Greenhouse Gases (three).

Greenhouse
Gases:

Narrator:

(in unison)

We're greenhouse gases,
and we trap heat from
the sun.

Some of the gases also
trap heat from the sun.
Because those gases cause
the greenhouse effect, they
are called "greenhouse
gases." Some greenhouse
gases are produced by
human activities, such as
driving and flying.

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Enter two Cars and Plane.
The Cars "drive"and Plane "flies.'

Cars:

Plane:

We're cars, and we make
greenhouse gases.

I'm a plane, and I do, too.

Narrator: We make greenhouse gases
by using fuels such as
gasoline. Fuel is important.
We need fuel to drive cars,
fly planes, and heat our
homes. But when we use
fuel, gases go into the air
and add to the greenhouse
effect. The greenhouse
effect helps to warm the
Earth.

Greenhouse Gases follow Cars and Plane,
and then move toward the Atmosphere.

Now, when the Heat moves toward
the Atmosphere, it's trapped by the
Greenhouse Gases.

Greenhouse
Gases:

All:

We go into the
atmosphere, and we trap
the heat when it comes up
to the atmosphere.

We help make the
greenhouse effect!

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