The Gem Miners

• Location: IL
• Marching Since: September 07, 2005

We are the 4th grade Gem Miners, a team participating in the FIRST LEGO® League competition. FIRST LEGO® League introduces kids around the world to fun and experiences of solving real-life problems and researching certain topics. This year the topic we chose is coral and we’re studying how global warming affects it.

Global warming is a big issue in the world. It can affect many things including bleaching coral and killing it. The bleaching is caused by global warming affecting ocean warming which makes algae die. The algae produces sugar which feeds the polyps that create the calcium in coral. So, the polyps that create calcium will die because it does not have its’ food source. Finally, the coral loses its’ source of calcium and dies.

We have decided to educate people on how global warming affects coral. We have also decided to present what we know about global warming and how it affects coral to different communities and families. We have lastly decided that we will tell people about what happens to coral when the warmth from the air gets into rivers, creeks, gulfs, bays, and oceans which bleach the coral. We also thought that the march would be a good way to get the word out to other people.