Pie chart and polymer goo preliminaries for munchkins

Came up with a couple of ways to start off the school year - gooey experiment and food-related. How good is THAT?

Thanks, Steve Spangler for his take on feeling comfortable in the classroom. This approach combines polymer science with 'New School Year' /leaving Mom and Dad nerves. Steve's stuff is endlessly variable and works well at all ages if you tweak t right. Who doesn't love that moment when you plunge your hands into the water to discover - EEUUUW! Jelly marbles!! it's all about being the best you can be in the right environment - drop the alka-seltzer (call it 'energy powder') into the oil and - no fizz ('energy'), but in the 'right' environment - water - zzzip go the bubbles! Now we've got the kid's attention where we want it!
OK. Now for an intro to pie charts:

• Give the class a big paper circle - the earth - (have a globe and a local map handy to have them relate to scale) - and divide it into 1/4s. 
• Color 3 of these blue for the oceans/waterways, divide the last 1/4 in half and put white on one of the 1/8s for uninhabitable land like mountains, ice etc. 
• Now you need to divide off 1/32nd for farms (green). The remainder gets to have lego houses, trees, playgrounds etc for inhabited land. 
• Now with the older kids they can see that tiny green bit has to provide food for all the people on the inhabited land. Not easy! Get them to build on the green part as well and they can see too many people compromise land for food.

Just a variation one of the great population activities from Population Connection. Maybe we have time to sing 'It's a Small World' to tie up the class.
So we have chemistry, math, geography, music and art in one simple lesson plan! Don't forget to 'grow' your jelly marbles BEFORE the class starts!