Dear Educator,
We want to thank you for exploring the Pop Tab program run by the Ronald
McDonald House of Delaware. Every year the Ronald McDonald House of
Delaware has the ability to raise money through the donations of Pop Tabs.
Pop Tabs might seem like such a silly thing to collect compared to the cans
themselves, however, there is more aluminum to sell in the tab then there is in
the whole can!
Enclosed is fun facts, information, puzzles and sample lesson plans to help
educate your students on Pop Tabs and why the Ronald McDonald House
collects them. We hope that you will participate and encourage your class to
collect Pop Tabs through games, activities and competitions.
For the Ronald McDonald House every donation counts. The money raised will
go towards helping take care of the families that stay at our House. We
encourage you to challenge your students and have fun with these activities.
If you have any questions or suggestions we look forward to hearing from you!
Once again thank you.
Ronald McDonald House of Delaware
POP TAB SCHOOL PROGRAM
Ideas and Activities for Teachers
Table of Contents
History of the Ronald McDonald House
POP TABS: 101
Evolution of the Pop Tab
Fun Facts to Know
Pop Tab Wars
History
Science
Mathematics
Pop Tab Word Search
Answer Sheets
References
History of the Ronald McDonald House
When Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill’s 3-year old
daughter, Kim, was being treated for leukemia in 1974, Fred and
his wife, Fran, camped out on hospital benches and sat in cramped
waiting rooms during Kim’s three years of treatment. The Hill
Family watched other parents and families of seriously ill children
do the same thing. Many of the families had to travel long
distances for their children to receive medical treatment and
could not afford to pay for hotel rooms.
The Hill Family knew there had to be a solution. Fred rallied the
support of his Philadelphia Eagles teammates to raise funds.
Through Jim Murray, the Eagles general manager, the team
offered its support to Dr. Audrey Evans of the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia.
Evans dreamed of a comfortable
temporary residence for families of children being treated at her
hospital.
Jim Murray enlisted the help of Don Tuckerman from the local
McDonald’s advertising agency. Mr. Tuckerman and McDonald’s
regional manager Ed Rensi, launched the St. Patrick’s Day Green
Milkshake (dubbed the Shamrock Shake) promotion. Funds raised
from the Shamrock Shake helped purchase an old house located
near the hospital.
And this is how the first Ronald McDonald House opened in
Philadelphia in 1974. The network of houses quickly grew and by
1979, 10 more houses opened.
Today, there are over 336 Ronald McDonald Houses in 35
countries and regions that support families around the world!
The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware located at 1901
Rockland Road in Wilmington opened in 1991 with 17 rooms and
now has 50 rooms.
Can you guess which countries we are in?
Out of the following Countries which ones do you think have
Chapters available?
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Czech Republic
Denmark
El Salvador
Finland
France
Germany
Guatemala
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Norway
Panama
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Romania
Russia
Scotland
Singapore
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
United Kingdom
Venezuela
That’s
Right! All
Of Them!!
POP TABS: 101
The pop tab was invented in 1974
There are 1,267 pop tabs in one pound
The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware receives an average of
45₵-55₵ for each pound of tabs.
The reason we collect the tab instead of the can (besides not having
the space) is because there is more aluminum in just the tab than there
is in the whole can!
In 2013 we received $6,400 from recycling pop tabs.
That is equal to 12,838 pounds of pop tabs!
We hope to surpass that amount in 2014!
Even a small number of pop tabs can make a difference so save your
tabs and send them to us as often as you would like!
Not all pop tabs are made of aluminum. Checking with a magnet can
help determine the content. Steel or mixed-metal tabs will stick to
the magnet while aluminum tabs will not.
Money earned from the pop tab program is used to offset general
operating costs.
Please send your pop tabs to:
Ronald McDonald House of Delaware
1901 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
302-656-4847
Or drop them off in person 9AM -9PM 7 days a week!
Evolution of the Pop Tab
Today’s sodas come in aluminum cans, but 50 years ago beverage cans
were made from tinplate, or tin-coated steel, and had to be opened with
a special can opener called a “church key”. As the cost of tin increased,
beverage producers looked for a new material for the cans. The
lightweight and economical aluminum can was developed in 1958, but a
separate can opener was still required.
Then in 1959, a man named Ermal Fraze from Dayton, Ohio found himself
at a picnic with plenty of canned drinks and no can opener!! Soon Ermal
began tinkering in his basement workshop with an idea of attaching some
type of opening lever to a can. He developed a landmark method of
attaching a tab to the can top in 1962 and his idea was patented by the
United States government in 1963.
A variety of styles of pop tabs evolved over the next 20 years or so,
many of which pulled off completely and caused a great deal of
environmental pollution. The version of the pop tab we know today began
to appear on beverage cans around 1980.
The Ronald McDonald House collects the tabs instead of the can
because there is more aluminum in just the tab than in the whole can –
and the tabs take up much less space!
Fun Facts to Know
 There are 1,267 pop tabs in one pound.
 One pound of aluminum makes about 30 soda cans.
 In only 60 days after they are recycled, aluminum cans can be
turned into a new can and put back on the shelves.
 The thickness of the can is less than five-thousandths of an inch
– 0.005” – about the same as a magazine cover.
 A pop tab withstands up to 110 pounds of tension exerted against
it by the carbon dioxide in the soda. But only 3-4 pounds of pull
on the tab causes the tab to rupture, releasing the contents
inside.
 Last year Americans recycled over 62.6 billion aluminum cans.
That many cans placed end to end could circle the earth at its
equator 171 times.
 Aluminum does not rust.
 10,433 empty aluminum beverage cans weigh as much as Shaq
O’Neal.
 Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a
television for 3 hours.
Sources used – www.earth911.org and www.cancentral.com
Lesson Plans
The following activities are for use in the classroom to
help students get involved in collecting Pop Tabs for
the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for additions to the packet next year please
let us know!
HISTORY
1. The first Ronald McDonald House was built in 1974. What other notable events
happened during that year?
2. Who invented the pop tab?
3. When was the pop tab invented? What other notable events occurred the year the
pop tab was invented?
4. What year did the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware open?
SCIENCE
1. Pop tabs are made from which metal? What are the qualities of this metal that make it
ideal for use in making beverage cans?
2. Why does the Ronald McDonald House collect only the tabs and not the whole can?
3. What other items can you recycle?
4. What is the elemental symbol for aluminum?
5. What is the biggest disadvantage of packaging beverages in today’s standard aluminum
“pop tab” cans?
Math: Measure Me!
Objectives
To estimate and measure objects using non-standard and standard units of
Measurement
To understand why we need a standard form of measurement and why we need
various forms of linear measurement (e.g., inch, foot, yard)
To practice selecting the appropriate unit of measurement for an object
Class Organization
Whole class; pairs or small groups
General Description
Students estimate and measure objects using pop tabs and Popsicle sticks. They
then repeat this activity using rulers and yard sticks, comparing the usefulness of
each measuring system and the appropriateness of different units of measurement
for the various objects being measured.
Materials
Pop tabs
Popsicle sticks
Objects found in the classroom
Measure Me! Activity Sheet
Preparation
Make copies of the Measure Me! Activity Sheet
Procedure
1. Explain to students that today they will be estimating measurements and will use
pop tabs and Popsicle sticks to measure various objects around the room.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the
Measure Me! Activity Sheet, some pop tabs, and some Popsicle sticks.
3. Have each group of students pick one or two objects to measure. Explain to
students that they should first estimate how many pop tabs long, wide or tall they
think their object is, and then measure the object using the pop tabs. They should
then repeat this process using the Popsicle sticks.
4. Bring the class back together and discuss the measurements students came up
with using pop tabs and Popsicle stick. How did their estimates compare to their
actual measurements and to those of their fellow classmates?
5. As a class, discuss the usefulness of measuring objects using pop tabs vs.
Popsicle sticks. Ask students how easy/hard it was to measure the various objects
using the pop tabs vs. the Popsicle sticks. For example, was it difficult to measure
the length of a table using pop tabs?
6. Brainstorm measuring tools that would make it easier to measure large objects.
7. Ask students to compare the use of pop tabs, Popsicle sticks, and other
measuring tools for measuring objects. If one person measures an object using pop
tabs how does that measurement compare with another object that has been
measured with Popsicle sticks? If something is 3 popsicle sticks long, is that larger
or smaller than something that is 25 pop tabs long?
8. Discuss the need for using not only appropriate units of measurement, but also
standard units of measurement. Bring out a ruler and a yardstick. Review with
students measuring in inches, feet and yards. They should know that 12 inches = 1
foot. And that 3 feet = 1 yard.
9. As a class, review each of the objects the students chose to measure. Given the
relative size of each object, which unit of measurement would work best for
measuring that object? Measuring in inches, feet, or yards?
10. Now that they have selected a unit of measurement for each object, have
students go back and estimate the new length/height/width of their object using a
standard unit of measurement. Then have them measure the object. How accurate
are their estimates/measurements now? How easy is it to compare the size of an
object with another object?
11. Now that students have seen the usefulness of measuring objects in inches,
feet, and yards, ask them to suggest other objects, at home or at school, that they
might measure and what unit of measurement they would use.
Extension Ideas
Have students practice converting measurements between inches, feet, and yards.
Have students practice measuring objects using centimeters, meters, and practice
converting between the two measurement systems.
Introduce the concept of benchmark estimating. Students have learned that
standard units of measurement can make measuring objects easier. But what
would they do if they needed to measure something and they didn’t have a ruler
or yardstick? They could use an object that they do know the length of to estimate
the length of object they wish to measure (e.g., if I know my foot is 12 inches long,
I could measure the length of my desk by the number of “feet” long it is. Or, since
1 pop = 1 inch, if my eraser is approximately 2 pop tabs long, I can say that it is
approximately 2 inches long.) Discuss the importance of selecting the correct
benchmark for making comparisons.
© 2006 Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest
Measure Me!
Name:________________________Date:____________
How many big/tall/long/wide am I? Make an estimate. Then measure
and find out!
1. Our object is a:-_____________
We think it measures:________ pop tabs.
It actually measures: ________pop tabs.
We think it measures: ________Popsicle sticks.
It actually measures:_________ Popsicle sticks.
It would be easier to measure our object using (circle one):
inches
feet
yards
We think our object measures:__________________
Our object actually measures:__________________
2. Our object is a:____________________________
We think it measures:________ pop tabs.
It actually measures: ________pop tabs.
We think it measures: ________Popsicle sticks.
It actually measures:_________ Popsicle sticks.
It would be easier to measure our object using (circle one):
inches
feet
yards
We think our object measures:__________________
Our object actually measures:__________________
© 2006 Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest
Answer Sheet
History
1. Some examples of events that occurred in 1974:
President Nixon resigned
Violence breaks out in Boston due to integration in the busing
systems
Dr. Henry Heimlich introduced the Heimlich maneuver
“Happy Days” premiered its first episode on TV
Stevie Wonder won a Grammy award for album of the year for
his album “Innervisions”
2. Ermal Fraze
3. The ring pull can, or first “pop tab” was invented in 1962. The following
are some examples of events that occurred in 1962:
John Glen was the first American astronaut in space
Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962
“Lawrence of Arabia” won best picture at the Academy Awards
Telstar successfully transmitted transatlantic television signals
for the first time
Cuban missile crisis occurred on October 28, 1962
The Beatles appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
4. 1991
Science
1. Aluminum; does not rust, is light weight, is inexpensive.
2. The aluminum alloy is more pure in the tab than in the rest of the can,
tabs are cleaner, and they take up less space to store and haul to the
recycling center.
3. Answers may vary. Some examples include newspapers, plastic bottles,
glass containers, office paper.
4. AL
5. They cannot be resealed if you do not want to finish the entire can!
References
1. Ronald McDonald House Charities® web site: www.rmhc.org.
2. “Pop Tab Program – Ideas and Resources for Teachers” from the
Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Central Valley Region, Inc.
web site: www.ronald–mcdonaldhouse.com.
3. www.eiu.edu/scienced/3290/science/discrepant/popcan/html The information in the above web site was taken from the book “The
Evolution of Useful Things” by Henry Petroski, published by Knopf,
1992, pages 196-201.
4. “Mathematics teachers guide” from Ronald McDonald House® Twin
Cities.