
Most Rubbish Science activities provide benefits for health, nutrition and water. Plastic bag footballs might not appear to fit in these categories but can provide for the mental health of the students.
The full range of problem-solving ideas developed in other activities can be developed with the challenge:
Make the best Rubbish Football
The first thing to consider is what would the best football be like? Factors that might be considered:
Note: This activity is ideal to do as a CREST Award
- How spherical it is – This can be measured by seeing how far it travels in a straight line when rolled
- How high it bounces when dropped from a given height – say 1 metre
- How heavy it is for a given size – How might the density be measured?
- How long it lasts for – How might this be measured?
- How easy it is to make or replicate? Simpler the better
- How big should the core be?
- How heavy might it be – Would using wet newspaper improve the performance of the ball?
- How tight should the plastic bags be tied? Is tighter better?
- What type of plastic is best?
- How big should the bags be?
- How much string should be used?
- What type of string?
- The list is endless ……..
