A Sunbrella For The Planet
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Provided by: Tinkercast|Published on: July 24, 2025
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This resource from Tinkercast includes a "Wow in the World" podcast episode and related resources to help students understand climate change and geoengineering as a solution.
- Among the related resources is a guided experiment where students will make predictions about what will melt in the sun and record their observations.
Subjects: Science
Authors: Tinkercast, Wow in the World
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will love the freedom of using a question of their own to inspire an experiment.
- The podcast does an excellent job of explaining a complex topic like geoengineering in a way that is easy for young learners to understand.
Prerequisites
- Though it is mentioned and explained briefly, it may benefit students to already understand global warming and climate change.
- Teachers will need to gather a variety of items for the guided experiment, such as crayons, ice, rocks, chocolate, and a muffin tin.
Differentiation & Implementation
- For younger students, teachers may want to print the slides so students have a physical copy to work on after listening.
- Teachers of older students can use this resource in a flipped classroom format, having students listen to the podcast at home to prepare for the guided experiment during class time.
- If implementing the activities where students make their own experiments and design challenges, teachers may need to provide additional guidance for students to get their ideas on paper.
- Students who struggle with auditory comprehension may benefit from pictures or physical objects to help contextualize the audio. For example, teachers can have pictures of Guy, Mindy, and the rest of the characters to help students visualize them as they speak. Teachers can also find pictures of weather balloons, calcium carbonate, and other unfamiliar items mentioned in the podcast.
This resource from Tinkercast’s "Wow in the World" podcast introduces students to the concept of solar geoengineering as a potential tool to address climate change. Through engaging dialogue and humor, the episode explores methods like atmospheric particle injection and space-based mirrors to reflect sunlight. While it does not include original data, this resource would be a fun addition to classroom discussions on climate science.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
