Stay cool in the summer

What you'll need

• Laptop, projector and screen 
• Save water and electricity story slideshow 
• Make a fan student handout, print one per student
• Coloured markers or pencils, one set per student
• Tape

1. Start by reviewing that in B.C. we make most of our electricity using the power of moving water, and sometimes in the summer we have drought affects our reservoirs used for energy generation. Consider doing the first activities in this unit, Drought in our province and The recipe for electricity in B.C. before continuing with this activity.
   
   
2. Pull up the Save water and electricity story slideshow and at slide 2, share that ‘Bo’ is a bear who needs some help figuring out how to save water and electricity in the summer. Explain that Bo wants to make sure all living things have the water they need to survive including people like us who use it for things like drinking and brushing teeth and making electricity to power our lights. Tell students that you will read part of the story and invite them to answer the question on each slide.
   
   
3. At slide 3, Bo the bear is brushing his teeth. Invite students to finish the sentence about what Bo could do in this situation. They may have ideas like Bo could turn off the tap when brushing his teeth.
   
   
4. At slide 4, Bo bear is having a bath. Invite students to finish the sentence about what Bo could in this situation. They may have ideas like filling the bath only half full or taking a short shower less than five minutes instead of a bath. On a hot summer day they could even take a cold bath or shower to save electricity and cool down.
   
   
5. At slide 5, Bo walks into an empty room with all the lights on. Ask the class what he should do to save energy, and they may say to turn all the lights off. To take it a step further, they could add that the heat or air conditioning can be turned off if it's on.
    
6. At slide 6, Bo walks into a room with the sun shining in and it's very warm. Invite students to make recommendations about how he can cool the room down and save energy. They may have ideas like closing the curtains or blinds to block the sun from coming in. 
   
   
7. At slide 7 Bo is using the oven in summer heats up the room. Invite students to finish the sentence about what Bo could do in this situation. They may have ideas like eating something cold like ice cream instead of baking a pie.
   
   
8. At slide 8 Bo sees someone watering grass in the middle of the day. Invite students to finish the sentence about what Bo could do in this situation. They may have ideas like watering early in the morning so sun does not evaporate the water or not watering the grass at all so just goes brown and sleeps coming back green in Fall.
   
   
9. At slide 9 Bo thanks students for their help. Invite them to think of other ways to save water and electricity in a drought. They may have ideas like washing clothes and dishes only when there’s a full load, only washing clothes that are dirty and turning off the tap when washing their hands.
   
   
10. Share with students that we just learned a lot of ways to save electricity and water in a drought. Now let’s put some ideas into action. There are lots of different ways of cooling down instead of using air conditioning. Tell students we are going to make a paper fan so that we’re prepared to stay cool and save electricity when we need to!
    
    
11. Hand out the Make a fan handout, one copy to each student. Invite them to share how the young people are staying cool on a hot day like they are sitting in the shade of a tree, wearing hats, drinking water to stay hydrated and using the fan to create a breeze.
    
    
12. Have students colour the image on the front of the fan and on the back make a pledge to save water or electricity. Have students think of their own and/or write a couple on the board for students to choose from and copy. Pledges could be “I will turn off the lights when I leave a room” or “I will turn off the tap when brushing my teeth”.
    
    
13. Now together make the fan by folding the paper along the fold lines accordion style (folding first one way and then turning over the paper and folding again). Continue till the whole piece is folded. Then fan out the paper and tape at the bottom.  
    
    
14. Use your fan to keep cool!