Maker Activity: Rubber Bands
MATERIALS: Bicycle inner tube rubber, scissors
Bicycle inner tubes are a great resource material for making simple and functional rubber bands in a variety of sizes depending on the width of the tube.
Using standard scissors, cut the bike tubes horizontally straight across the tube
Experiment with cutting thinner and thicker slices
Have students notice that the thinner the slice, the stretchier the rubber band
Be careful not to cut too thin or the bands will break
Have students fold paper into an envelope to take their rubber bands home
Have them decorate their envelope with bicycle imagery
Procedure:
Hand out “When the Rubber Leaves the Road—Don’t Toss That Tube!” and read aloud. For classrooms with older children, have them read it silently to themselves.
After they have finished reading it, together list the phases in the product lifecycle.
Ask them why might rubber not disappear as quickly as other types of trash, like food or paper.
Tell students that “Microplastics” are the breaking up of synthetic materials, like plastic and rubber, into smaller and smaller pieces and because they are not natural and do not biodegrade we want to avoid this.