GASP invites parents, caregivers, and educators to check out this list of resources, videos, and activities (below). The activities all use supplies that you probably already have on hand in your home or classroom.  For a list sorted by suggested grade level, click here. If you have any questions email Laura at laura@gasp-pgh.org.

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General Air Quality/Pollution Education

• Educator Resource: GASP’s Plain-Language Guide to Understanding Local Air Quality

• Educator Resource: Blog Against Smog - Updates on Current Local Air Quality Issues & Events

• Educator Resource: How can you learn about local air quality in real time?

• Video: Air Quality 101 (3:36)

• Activity: Understanding What Causes Air Pollution - Personal Impact

• Resource: Individual Impact and How to Make a Difference

• Activity: Pollution Pledge (with additional resources for turning ideas into advocacy)

• Educator Resource (with activities): Environmental Justice! community research guide developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) - for teachers of grades 6, 7, 8

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Bioindicators - Lichen & Ozone Sensitive Plants

• Video: Looking for Lichens (3:11)

• Resource: Air Quality Adventures - Can You Spot the Lichen?

• Video: Ozone Pollution: What You Need to Know About the Air Pollutant (5:36)

• Resource/Activity: Ozone Sensitive Plant List/Scavenger Hunt (we also have printed booklets)

• Activity: Intro to Bio-indicators & Take a Walk! (Find air quality clues in nature)

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Particulate Pollution

• Video: Pittsburgh's Air Pollution Problem (And How Expanded Public Transportation Can Help) (2:52) - Student-produced video

• Activity: Crud Catchers - An At-Home Air Quality Experiment

• Activity: Observing the Air - Multi-day Monitoring Observation

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Health Effects of Air Pollution

• Video: GASP Mascot Gertie the Anti-Pollution Birdie Talks Air Pollution and Brain Health (2:07)

• Video: GASP Mascot Gertie the Anti-Pollution Birdie Talks Air Quality & Lung Health (2:17)

• Activity: Air Ball - Adapt a ball game to learn about air quality concepts

• Activity: How Boogers Help Protect Your Body from Air Pollution - Time to Make Slime

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Regional History of Air Pollution

• Video Playlist: Historical PSAs and Videos about Air Pollution (mostly featuring Pittsburgh)

• Video Playlist: Extraction Podcast (History of US Steel)

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For more "Air Quality 101" info check out our fact sheets here - the fact sheets are mostly for older students or adults. They are easily printable if you'd like something to use for a resource table or education event.

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Remember our Clean Air/AQ Education Kits? That program, in which educators could borrow self-contained activity kits from GASP for free, ran from 2019-2022 and was funded by the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund and a DEP Environmental Education grant. Over a thousand SWPA students enjoyed the activities, including using pig lungs to learn about the respiratory system, conducting air quality monitor experiments, and providing tools to turn a walk in the woods into a search for bio-indicators of clean air. While the program has technically wrapped up, we've condensed and simplified the kits to make it possible to continue to lend them out, especially when previous borrowers reach out. Kit pick-up from the office must be arranged in advance to make sure the kit is ready and someone is in the office to let you in. If you are interested, contact Laura at laura@gasp-pgh.org and ask about borrowing a kit.