Anti Smoking Projects

The National Institutes of Health states that more than 400,000 deaths occur in the United States every year due to smoke-related causes. More than 300,000 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis are diagnosed each year due to secondhand smoke in children 18 months or younger. If you are looking to create an anti-smoking project, it is vital to breakdown current statistics to showcase the dangers and penalties associated with smoking tobacco.

Art

• An anti-smoking art project allows children and adults the opportunity to learn about the dangers of smoking without being lectured to. By engaging a person's artistic abilities when performing an anti-smoking project, they may learn the dangers of smoking while expressing themselves artistically. For example, purchase a blank posterboard and provide coloring utensils, such as markers or crayons. On the posterboard, have the children or adults draw their own cigarette advertisement. Hand out a statistic regarding tobacco use. The National Institutes of Health offers a plethora of current facts concerning cigarette and tobacco use. Underneath their advertisement, have each of the participants write out this fact.

Essay

• Involving participants in a written anti-smoking project requires not only attention as they must create a cohesive paper, but it also provides an opportunity for participants to learn about facts they didn't know previously. Essay themes may range from statistical information to theoretical scenarios. Examples of essay themes may include: the risks of smoking, pros/cons of banishing tobacco or how anti-smoking campaigns can increase their visibility.

Hands-On Activity

• Sometimes the best way for someone to absorb facts is by seeing the effects of smoking. One hands-on activity for all ages highlights the damaging properties of cigarette smoke by placing a clean cotton ball into a jug of cigarette smoke. Upon inspection, the cotton ball turns yellow due to the tar and other toxic ingredients found in cigarettes. To perform this activity, place a cotton ball into an empty clear plastic jug, such as an old soda or juice bottle. Place a piece of modeling clay over the bottle opening, and stick the filter end of a cigarette through the clay so it is inside of the bottle. Light the cigarette, and squeeze the bottle several times to simulate a person smoking the cigarette. After the cigarette is nearly "smoked" away, put out the cigarette and remove the clay from the bottle. Shake the cotton ball out of the bottle and take a look; it will be discolored due to the smoke. Make sure you perform this project outdoors to prevent onlookers from inhaling the smoke.

Cost of Smoking

• The cost of cigarette smoking is staggering, especially for those who smoke a pack or more per day. While buying a pack at a time may fool buyers into thinking they aren't spending too much on cigarettes, when you compile the annual cost of smoking, it clears the smoke on the financial hits smokers take. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids states that as of 2011, the national average cost of a pack of cigarettes is $5.51; however, for this project locate your states average cost of cigarettes. Hand out a sheet of paper to all participants, and inform them of the average cost for a pack of cigarettes. Have the participants calculate the monthly cost of a pack-a-day smoking habit as well as a pack-a-week habit. At the end of this project, participants will truly understand the financial cost of smoking.