CAS PROJECTS
PROJECT TITLE: SOAP MAKING 2020
Learning Outcomes
2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.
6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
CAS STAGES
1. Investigation:
From the start of the Love Ocean Life (LOL) club at Wells International School, I along with my two other co-leaders had thought about our interest towards soap making. To start off, LOL, a student led club which focuses on raising awareness about marine life as well as the environmental issues related to it. Our vision is conservation of marine animals, educating our school community about the issues that we directly don’t see by hosting events. We saw soap making as an opportunity to contribute to our Wells community as well as for our own personal growth and development. We started thinking about making organic soap a couple years ago, however, we did continue it because we did not have enough knowledge to implement it. In the last couple of months we had the opportunity to work with one of our school teachers who knew alot about making organic soap. Our main aim was to make organic soap so that at least in the Wells community we are discharging water waste which is chemical free.
2. Preparation:
For the preparation of this project, we started with brainstorming ideas for the materials required for making soap with our teacher. We have had many meetings to discuss the method and making process. The materials that we needed to make soap were Oil, water/ice, sodium hydroxide (Lye), soap calc (app), oil based coloring and essential oil for aesthetic purposes. When we first started off, we were doing it for our own passion. However, after making the first batch, we were given the responsibility to make a hundred soaps for the seniors and teacher at the Wells International School CAS showcase. All the materials were provided by school and that is when the actual action began.
3. Action:
Our teacher was there to support us throughout the process of making a hundred soaps. We used a soap calculator to get the amount of each ingredient based on what type of soap we wanted. It took us around a month to make all the soaps. However, the planning took around another month or so. We were required to make decisions on how much quantity of each ingredient should be used. This is because unequal ratios of the ingredients could make the soap more basic and it would not be suitable for our skin. After making the soaps, we also included the middle school science students to test the pH level of each bar of soap we made.
4. Reflection:
During the process of making the soap I had the opportunity to reflect after every step we did with the teacher as well as by myself. It was not every time we got the results we hoped for, and that encouraged me to understand the problem in depth and make sure that the mistake doesn’t happen again. From the beginning itself we started keeping a record of our budget that the school was providing and all the calculations of the materials required. As a learner, I thought having all the information in hand and organized will help our club to redo, expand and share our knowledge whenever we want. My plan for this project is to continue developing my skills in terms of making soap and learning new methods of doing so, such as the next step that I am thinking of is changing the soaps at our school. However, for the soaps at school we must learn how to make liquid soap. Some of the CAS outcomes from this project are as follows:
5. Demonstration:
Throughout this experience I got to develop my collaborative skills as well as leadership skills. Since I had to communicate with the teacher do the process by myself, I got a complete experience and I believe I along with my two other co-leaders can hold a workshop to teach other students from the Wells community as well as from other schools how to make organic soap. I believe that will be our next step to demonstrate people around us on how to be creative as well as be a global citizen
