What's Inside Discovery Cube OC's ECO Challenge Exhibits?

This is a sponsored post.  #DiscoveryCubeMoms

Have you played the Super Eco-Shopper Game and the Race to Recycle Game at the Discovery Cube Orange County? Both games are really fun and educational. My kids like to use the scanners, and we're racing to be the fastest sorter. Most recently I went to Discovery Cube OC to learn more about their ECO Challenge Exhibits and their partnership with OC Waste Management. As you may already know, the games are designed to help children learn to be mindful of what they put into the landfills. Let's take a closer look.

Discovery Market 

In Super Eco-Shopper Game, there are 6-Eco Games, 4-Games about Nutrition, and 1-Junior Eco (for ages 5 and under). The games are designed to be engaging and challenging while helping kids recognize the packaging labels when they see it. The idea is that the more they do it, the more they learn what they buy will end up in landfills.

For example, one of the question was, Scan which eating utensils are best for the environment. 
Options are: Plastic Utensils, Recycled Plastic Utensils, or Stainless Steel Utensils? (I got this wrong by the way.)

The answer was not black/white. I had to look at the packaging. The first one is Disposable, and the second one is 100% Recycled. I think I selected Recycled and got it wrong. The correct answer is Stainless Steel Utensils, because they are more durable and can be washed and reused.

Nutrition in the labels are listed in order of ingredients. The ones listed first generally has the highest concentration in the product, and some of the words are disguised. For example, one of the nutrition question was to identify which product had the most sugar. (I got this wrong too.) I had to recognize that some of the different names of sugars were listed as sucrose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, molasses, honey, or extract of raisins, and I had to learn how to read the labels. (I got the list of examples from pressing the "Hint" button.)

You can see how you'll want to visit this exhibit again and again. The product examples are common and the faux food look realistic. Kids love it, because they want to get a perfect score so their picture gets displayed on the Super Eco-Shoppers Photo Wall. (They can only miss one question.) This game is not only fun, it's really informative for all ages.

For younger kids, you'll want to select Junior Eco. Their questions are easier and they have questions like, "Identify which one is bigger?" and then the eco-education is inserted at the end. It's a great learning tool for everyone to learn together. There are 6 questions and one list.

Race to Recycle Game!

In Race to Recycle, there are four categories: Landfill Waste, Green Waste, Recyclables, and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW). They only give us 20 seconds in each category to sort through waste, and we're competing with 3 other teams. It's a really fun game to test your knowledge, and it can get competitive. I played more than once, because I didn't like to lose. Some of the things I thought were recyclable surprised me when I got it wrong. For example, I threw musical greeting cards and shoes with lights in the landfill, but they really need to go into the Household Hazard Waste bin, because they have batteries. If you're not sure why you got it wrong, visit the What's What? Board to learn more, then play again.

Eco-Garage Game

The Eco-Garage Game takes you into the garage and wants us to start thinking about what items DO NOT belong in the trash and needs to go to a local Household Hazard Waste (HHW) Collection Center. You have one minute to identify 15 HHW items in the garage. I haven't really thought about this. I know that you shouldn't throw batteries, electronics, and motor oil in the garbage, but never knew where to take them in. This timed game had me realize there is more items that I shouldn't be throwing in the trash such as chemicals, pesticides, bleach, fluorescent lights, aerosol cans, or cleaners.

At the end of the game, it listed where my local HHW Collection Centers were. You can find yours too by putting in your zip code here: oclandfills.com/hazardous/. If you're in Los Angeles, yours will be through the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. Each facility will be different so you might want to familiarize yourself with their procedures and regulations. For example, there is a maximum limit you can drop off at one time and you must remain in your vehicles while an attendant remove your items from your trunk. They will not return the container so be sure to store it in a box or container you do not want to keep.

Think Reusable, Not Disposable


Being Eco-friendly is much more than just recycling. I like that the games are not only fun, they are interactive, and it helps us recognize more than just recycling plastic bottles and cans. It's also remembering that what we buy ends up somewhere, and it's up to us to reduce waste and put it where it belongs. I learned things like if we use a regular plastic bag instead of an eco-friendly bag for pet waste, it ends up in landfills even if the bag is recyclable, because the bag is now contaminated. A solution would be to rinse the bag before we place it in the waste bin. Some facilities will sort the trash for us, but not all will be equipped to do everything. Another example that we discussed was recycling yogurt containers and soup cans. They have to be rinsed off first, because the centers don't have a way to do it. The Eco Challenge Program is also part of Discovery Cube's Outreach Program for 5th and 6th Graders. Wow that was a lot! I hope that I covered everything, and hope that you enjoyed learning about Discovery Cube's ECO Challenge Exhibits as much as I did!

-XOXO, Mary

DISCOVERY CUBE OC

2500 North Main Street

Santa Ana, CA

(714) 542-2823

www.discoverycube.org/oc/