Day 5: Systems Interact & Permeable Pavement

To begin our day today, groups brainstormed pairs of systems that work together in order to see how systems interact.  We came up with a good group of pairs!

Circulatory System & Digestive System
Computer & Monitor
Computer & Keyboard
Strawberries & Miss Checchio
Spark plug & Cylinder
Immune System & Digestive System
Pencil & Sharpener
Mentos & Soda
Paper & Pencil
Fabric & Sewing Machine
Car & Engine
Desk & Chair
Compass & Magnetic North
Door & Hinges

Then, the class was given time to explore a game  Plan it Green.   This game illustrates how systems interact from an environmental/city planning viewpoint. The necessity for homes to be built with roads leading to them, along with wind farms & nuclear power plants, was an excellent way to build upon the idea that systems interact. 


In our quest for clean water, we investigated permeable pavement today.  We first watched a commercial from a manufacturer or permeable pavement systems to better understand how the technology works.  Only the first 3 minutes of Stormwater Runoff Solution: Permeable Pavement is actually relevant to building knowledge we needed.  We then watched Green City, Clean Waters. We were now prepared for our investigation.

Students were given the following parameters:

To create a layer of permeable "pavement" in a foil tray that could absorb water and be smooth enough for walking & driving.  They had 25 minutes and $200.  There choices of materials & price list is below.

Craft foam (1/2 sheet) $40
Felt (1/2 sheet) $40
Sponge $20
Plastic discs (10) $20
Paperclips (10) $20/$10
Coffee stirrers (10) $10
Cotton Balls (5) $10
Screen (per square inch) $10
Cheesecloth (per square inch) $5

Here are some of our successful designs: