Ozone Theater: Setting the Stage for Air Pollution Education

Ozone Theater, which won a 2007 Clean Air Excellence Award, is a program for pre-K and elementary students.
It uses a fun, interactive game to teach kids about air pollution. Learn more below.

Why is air pollution education important?

Who created Ozone Theater?

How can I schedule a program?

Press release (PDF)

Download the Ozone Theater Activity Guide (PDF)

What is Ozone Theater?

If you are looking for a fun and creative way to teach pre-K and elementary students about health and the environment, Ozone Theater is your ticket. This educational program uses an interactive theatrical game and hands-on activities to teach students about air pollution.

With this interesting and innovative approach, kids move around and perform while learning what causes air pollution and how it affects their health. Students not only have fun, but they discover actions they can apply in their lives.

Although Ozone Theater was created for students and educators in the Houston region, its lessons can be easily adapted for other metropolitan areas. It is appropriate for schools, camps, libraries, after-school programs, scout groups, clubs and special events. The game is aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS) objectives in science, health, theater and language arts.

What Does Ozone Theater Involve?

Each interactive game takes about 35 minutes of classroom time, and is conducted by a trained leader. There’s also an Activity Guide for teachers, which provides an ozone overview and reinforcement activities like science experiments, creative projects, puzzles and games.

Students in grades 3-5 learn the difference between good ozone and bad ozone, and how to interpret the federal government’s Air Quality Index (AQI), a color-coded health chart. Students also act out safe activities they can do at times when ozone levels are elevated.

Students in pre-K through grade 2 learn the sources of air pollution by acting out a source such as a bus, a car, a plane, a train, a ship, a factory or a gas station. They also learn the difference between dirty air and clean air.

Why Is Air Pollution Education Important?

Air pollution is a frequent problem in major metropolitan areas in the United States, and one of its primary components is ozone. This widespread pollutant can be found in cities across the nation. Ozone can cause numerous health problems, particularly among children and other sensitive people.

Children in the Houston-Galveston area are exposed to more ozone air pollution than most kids around the country, particularly during warm, dry summer months. Our local ozone levels have exceeded federal health standards for several decades, and are among the worst in the country.

Too much ozone in the air we breathe can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, watery eyes and scratchy throats. It can also trigger asthma attacks and intensify allergic reactions. Children suffer more than adults from the health consequences of ozone air pollution. That’s because:

• their lungs and immune systems are still developing.
• pound for pound, they breathe in 50% more air than adults.
• they tend to spend more time outdoors than adults, especially during the summer, when ozone levels are highest.
• they tend to participate in more vigorous outdoor activities than most adults.

Who Created Ozone Theater?

Ozone Theater was developed by the Theater Outreach and Education (TOE) program at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA).

TOE uses theater as an educational tool to raise awareness of health science and medical humanities issues within the university and the community. TOE encourages both youth and adults to learn about what affects their health by means of an enjoyable, imaginative, interactive and, of course, entertaining educational forum.

MfCA is a local, non-profit organization concerned about air pollution in the Houston-Galveston area and its effects on health, particularly of children. MfCA educates the public, in Harris County and the seven counties that touch it, about air quality and about what people can do as individuals and as communities to prevent air pollution and reduce exposure.

How Can I Schedule a Program?

To arrange an Ozone Theater presentation, contact us using the information below. The fee per class for Ozone Theater is $75, and a minimum of 3 classrooms per visit is preferred.