Aluminum Cans and the Periodic Table of Elements

Literature and Aluminum Al
We have been reading the sweetest little book, first published in 1942, called "Twig" by Elizabeth Orton Jones.

The book is about a little girl, Twig, who lives in a city apartment. All she has for a backyard is a small bit of dirt where only a single dandelion is growing. She takes an old can, a gum wrapper, a bottle cap and an old thimble, places it by the dandelion and wishes for a fairy to move into this little home. Low and behold one does, by the name of ELF. Elf shrinks her down to his size and they have many adventures which doesn't involve leaving Twig's tiny backyard, including meeting a fairy queen. The photos are just as whimisical as the story and have that old fashioned flair to them.

Aluminum Tomato Can Fairy Home
Without taking the whimsy out of this book I was able to bring the PTOE (Aluminum) into this sweet little tale. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust and is an important aspect to the story. Twig uses an aluminum tomato can, bottle cap and a gum wrapper to make a cozy place for a fairy to live. What a novel idea!
The little ladies gathered some similar aluminum items mentioned in the book and made their own tomato can fairy home.

They spent most of the afternoon playing "Twig and her little friends." There are all kinds of aluminum can fairy homes in our yard now.

Facts About Aluminum Recycling from Earth 911
1. Discovered in the 1820s, aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth.
2. Over 50 percent of the aluminum cans produced are recycled.
3. A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days.
4. Aluminum is a durable and sustainable metal: two-thirds of the aluminum ever produced is in use today.
5. Every minute, an average of 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled.
6. Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy than using virgin materials.
7. 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one can using virgin ore.
8. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours.
9. Tossing away an aluminum can waste as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline.
10. In 1972, one pound of aluminum cans was equivalent to about 22 empty cans. Due to advanced technology using less material and increasing the durability of aluminum cans, in 2002, one pound of aluminum cans is equivalent to about 34 empty cans.
11. The average employee consumes 2.5 beverages each day while at work.
12. An empty aluminum can is worth about one cent.

Visit Earth 911 to learn more about aluminum cans. Novelis has a fun site about aluminum cans with a free coloring book called My Life as a Can. For more PTOE activities visit moss terrarium, onions, decomposing ecosystem, and carbon stars.