Synthetic Products

[Veronica]

What do you think are some synthetic products 10 year olds might be familiar with?

So far I've got food, beauty products, building materials and clothing.

Veronica

[PamNY]

Electronics and batteries?

[Veronica]

Sorry, I should have specified I'm looking for things that would have a natural equivalent. It's for a compare/contrast thing.

Veronica

[zoom-zoom]

Transportation, toys

[Dannielle]

toys (wooden toys vs. plastic), dishes (stoneware vs plastic), packaging (cardboard vs. plastic), paintbrushes, yarn , grass (astroturf vs real grass), shoes (leather vs pleather)

[GLC1968]

You could also do things like teeth, hair, fingernails and boobs...but I'm not sure the point you are trying to make.

[Veronica]

Mostly I'll be trying to get them to think. Why would companies make synthetic shirts instead of cotton shirts? Why Polartec (I think it's synthetic?) instead of wool? Why Legos instead of wooden blocks? Cheetos instead of cheese and crackers? Or that gross spray cheese? Silk hose as opposed to nylons? And as a consumer, how should you spend your money?

The more examples I can give them, the more likely they will have some schema (background knowledge) to write a decent essay.


Veronica

[Veronica]

You could also do things like teeth, hair, fingernails and boobs...but I'm not sure the point you are trying to make.

I think I'll stay away from boobs. I hope they have no schema for that!

Veronica

[zoom-zoom]

Thinking 10 year olds again (my son is 9.5)... Wii vs. actual sports. My son has a hard time going outside to play, yet will play the same things indoors on the Wii. He hates bugs.

Ooh, bugs...how 'bout synthetic bug sprays vs. natural repellants, like citronella or other citrus oils/extracts, herbal stuff, etc.

[moonfroggy]

virtual pets vs real live animals

[NbyNW]

There are also natural and synthetic dyes and pigments

and bristles in hair brushes and paint brushes

[GLC1968]

Kirsten made a really good point on the Wii. I mean, I think about my husband's son being here for a visit last month (he's 16, but still)...he would rather have stayed indoors playing video games than going outside and doing the real thing. Of course, that's bluring the lines between 'synthetic' and 'reality'...so you may not want to venture there.

Or, again based on this past visit....text vs live conversations.

[marni]

movies in a theater vs films on cd
radio stations vs sirius radio
am/vs fm
regualr clocks with normal numbers vs digital
cameras with real fil vs digital
ditto tv vs digital
reg milk vs almond, soy whatever milk

marni

[rubywagon]

reg milk vs almond, soy whatever milk

Almond and soy milk are natural though.

[channlluv]

Along the same lines as the Wii Sports: Guitar Hero vs a real guitar.

My daughter was trying to play Guitar Hero at one of those store displays in Best Buy one day and my husband, who was in several bands when he was younger and has taught her to play some on her own baby Martin (purchased for her last summer by my father, the blues musician) and her own electric guitar (bought by dad), was laughing. "Why would you want to play this when you could go home and play the real thing?" She was bored with the game in minutes, but the two of them play music together for an hour or more several times a week.

Roxy