This year for Zoology Live and in celebration of our summer exhibition Breaking Point, we are challenging you to take part in a Protest Plastics challenge. There’s a few ways to get involved, from creating a Protest Plastics sculpture to pledging to swap a plastic item.

Please note that our Protest Plastics Challenge 2021 competition has now ended. You can still create a sculpture of your own or pledge to swap a plastic item. You can also still share these with us to feature in our Community Gallery! Find out how below:

Create a Protest Plastics sculpture

Sculpture and art is a great way to share a message and help our ocean wildlife. The recipe below makes one large ball of salt dough. Depending on the size of your desired sculpture and how many people are making together, you may need to double-up the ingredients.

You will need:

• 250g plain flour
• 125g table salt
• 125ml water
• A mixing bowl
• Water-based paints
• Paintbrush

1. Put all of your ingredients (flour, salt and water) into a bowl and mix together until it forms a dry ball of dough. If the mixture is too sticky add small amounts of flour to get a desired consistency.

2. Find a clean table surface and spread a little flour there. This stops your sculptures sticking to the table.

3. Create your sculpture. Think about:

• What animal would I like to represent?
• Does this animal have a story?
• How is plastic pollution impacting this animal?
• Would I like to share a message about plastic pollution in the sculpture?
• How can I share a message or knowledge about the ocean in the sculpture?

4. Your sculpture now needs to harden. This is done in the oven! Pop it into the oven on the lowest temperature (50-70 degrees Celsius) for 2-3 hours.

5. Paint your sculpture. You can use any water-based or acrylic paints to do this. Make your message clear using words, numbers or symbols.

6. Wait for the paint to dry.

7. Share your work! Share your message with family and friends. You can even share it with us and the Museum’s audiences using the button below.

Upload your Protest Plastics sculpture to enter our competition to win a selection of items to help you use less plastic at home. For terms and conditions, scroll to the end of the post.

Pledge to swap plastic

Why not go one step further and pledge to swap an item of plastic you use regularly? Every swap adds up to make a big difference to our planet.

Use the form below to make a public pledge, deciding to swap plastic sponges to biodegradable sponges or clingfilm to beeswax wraps, for example.

You’ll see your pledge here:

Pledges take a few minutes to update. Please refresh the page once you have completed your pledge and it’ll appear below after some time.

For anyone wanting to give going plastic free a try, check out the Plastic Free July campaign or Marine Conservation Society’s Plastic Challenge.

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Discover plastic-free crafts in Crafty Creatures

Create moth-themed decorations using our tutorial in Winter Wildlife: Active Insects

Explore the species your efforts could help save in Endangered Species Day