ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel ASAP Science This Zero-Waste Gift Should Be Everywhere (The Great Gift Exchange!)
Today, something unexpected happened! We received a mysterious package from YouTube. It was a giant box with the words “Open me” on it. We had no idea what it was about, but we were excited to find out.
When we opened it, we discovered that we were chosen to participate in YouTube’s Great Gift Exchange. This is a special event where 12 creators, including us, give gifts to each other. But instead of regular gifts, we make donations to charities that are important to the person we’re gifting to.
We were introduced to Alton DuLaney, a famous gift wrap artist and YouTube’s representative. He explained that after choosing a charity, we would visit his magical Wrap Shop to learn how to wrap our donation in a creative way.
Our recipient was Molly Burke, a fellow creator we know well. Molly loves makeup, fashion, and has a sweet guide dog named Gallop. Since Molly is blind, we wanted to make sure our gift was something she could appreciate with her other senses.
People who are blind often have heightened senses of hearing, smell, and touch. A 2017 study showed that blind individuals use parts of their brain more for these senses. So, we wanted to incorporate these elements into Molly’s gift.
We decided to donate to the Mira Foundation, a charity that provides guide dogs to young people. We also included a cookbook for the blind by Christine Ha, a famous blind chef. This way, Molly could enjoy cooking with the help of the cookbook.
We learned that during the holidays, waste increases by 25% in America. Many people think wrapping paper is recyclable, but if it has glitter or tape, it can’t be recycled. So, we wanted to wrap our gift in an eco-friendly way.
Alton taught us about furoshiki, a Japanese art of cloth wrapping. This method has been around since 710 AD and is a great way to wrap gifts without creating waste. We also used paper embedded with wildflower seeds, which can be planted after use.
We wrapped our donation in a creative way, making it look like a little dog house. We added a Braille card and a cute dog collar to complete the gift. This way, Molly could enjoy the tactile experience of the gift.
After wrapping the gift, we sent it off to Molly. We also encouraged viewers to donate to Rainbow Railroad, a cause we care about. When we returned home, we found a card from Alton encouraging us to continue the Giving Train by choosing another creator to gift.
Happy holidays, and remember, giving is not just about the gift itself but the thought and care behind it!
Gather materials like cloth, old newspapers, or paper embedded with seeds. Try wrapping a small item using the furoshiki method. Share your creation with the class and explain why your choice is eco-friendly.
Choose a charity that you are passionate about. Research its mission and how it helps others. Present your findings to the class and explain why you would choose to donate to this charity as part of a gift exchange.
Blindfold yourself and try to identify different objects using only your senses of touch, smell, and hearing. Reflect on how these senses can be heightened and discuss how you would create a sensory gift for someone who is blind.
Learn the basics of Braille and create a greeting card with a simple message. Share your card with a classmate and explain the importance of accessibility in gift-giving.
Work in groups to plan a zero-waste gift exchange event for your class. Decide on rules, such as using only eco-friendly wrapping and choosing gifts that support a cause. Present your plan to the class and discuss how it promotes sustainability and giving.
Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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So today is going to be a little different because we received a random package from YouTube. It is a giant box that says, “Open me.” We have no real context of what’s going on, but we may as well just open it.
[BOTH GASPING] [BOTH LAUGHING] “You’ve been selected to take part in YouTube’s Great Gift Exchange.” A round trip from here to there. This is so cool. Oh, my gosh. This is an exciting day for us.
And it has a little URL that I think we need to go to, a website. Do you want to just hit play? That I can do.
Hey, y’all. I’m Alton DuLaney, the world’s most famous gift wrap artist and YouTube’s representative. You have been selected to be a part of YouTube’s Great Gift Exchange, where you and 11 other creators will participate in a chain of charitable gift giving. You will each be assigned a creator, and as a gift, each of you will make a donation to a charity that is important to your recipient.
And then, you will be whisked away to my magical Wrap Shop, where I’ll teach you how to gift wrap the creator’s donation in a thoughtful way.
ALTON: And now, without further ado… Let’s find out who your lucky recipient is.
Wow. The lucky recipient is… The magnificent Molly Burke. Yeah! I’m glad that we know her well, so we can find a way to engineer the perfect gift for Molly.
That’s the thing about us; it’s going to have to incorporate science, especially considering we’re not the best at wrapping gifts.
NARRATOR: A miniature train left Toronto traveling 50 miles per hour to a whimsical winter landscape. It carried with it AsapSCIENCE and their gifts for Molly Burke. They arrived at Alton’s Wrap Shop to add their science to his work.
ALTON: Welcome to the Wrap Shop. So, guys, tell me a little bit about Molly Burke.
We’ve come prepared because we love to have a good diagram. Molly is a fellow creator. She loves makeup and fashion. She also has an adorable dog named Gallop, who is so sweet and kind.
ALTON: You also have an amazing dog, who is also falling asleep right now, which is amazing. And he’s her guide dog because she’s blind.
The art of gift wrapping is much more than visual. It’s the touch, the weight, the shape. And even depending on what you embellish it with, it could be the scent of the gift.
GREGORY: People who are blind have other heightened senses. So I think we want to figure out how we can incorporate that into the gift.
MITCHELL: That’s completely true. In fact, a 2017 study found that blind individuals use parts of their brain more significantly related to hearing, scent, and touch.
In other words, when it comes to senses other than sight, Molly has superpowers. And if Molly can learn all that, you can learn to gift wrap.
So what are your ideas for gifts for Molly?
As I became an adult, I realized how important charitable donations are, so this is a donation to the Mira Foundation, which she cares deeply about, and it provides guide dogs to people aged 11 to 16.
The second part is actually a cookbook for the blind by a famous chef named Christine Ha, who is blind herself.
Yes, we are always thinking about the climate crisis, especially around the holidays. In America, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, there’s a 25 percent increase in trash.
A lot of people think that wrapping paper is recyclable, but if there’s glitter on it or tape, it can’t be recycled.
So, I hope this isn’t too much of an issue that we don’t want to create that much waste.
I’ve wrapped gifts in everything, even dollar bills, which is kind of the ultimate recyclable material.
So, do you all want to head over to the gift wrap studio and do some wrapping?
GREGORY: I’m genuinely so scared to wrap gifts.
MITCHELL: Here we are.
And just so you know, there’s actually toys in these boxes, and these gifts will go to children in need.
Let’s do a little gift wrapping here.
ALTON: You always wrap from the bottom so you do it face down.
Now this is how I measure what I’m working with here.
ALTON: Perfect. I like to say, “Wrapping is a snap.”
And now we’re going to do that great Christine Ha Braille cookbook.
MITCHELL: Cool.
GREGORY: Oh, my gosh! That’s so cool.
The name for this is called furoshiki. It’s a Japanese art of cloth wrapping that dates back to 710 AD.
That’s so cool.
So let’s start by spreading it out and getting the biggest area that you could possibly work with.
ALTON: And now, I’m folding my little ruffle part over, and this creates a crisscross pattern.
You’re doing great.
ALTON: [LAUGHS]
And now the bib of the apron, I’m folding over to get just a nice edge.
GREGORY: Wow.
So the deal is you have to create a square out of a non-square shape.
And now I’ve wrapped my apron strings underneath, so you’re binding all this together.
And if that wasn’t enough, what we’ve created here is a great pocket that then you could slide in cooking utensils.
This introduces the element of scent to the gift.
Giving a charitable donation is a great gift to give someone because it’s thoughtful and generous, but just because you’re doing a good deed doesn’t mean you don’t have to make it look good.
We thought we would create a little dog house.
ALTON: The first part is actually creating the dog.
While Mitch is working on that, this is paper that has been embedded with wildflower seeds.
So we’re going to do a technique called pleating.
You’re going to fold about one inch.
GREGORY: Okay.
You’re going to produce four of these panels, and that’s going to be all four sides of the dog house.
Pleating is actually a technique I use on a lot of different gift wraps.
GREGORY: Okay, I see.
ALTON: This is rick-rack.
GREGORY: I thought you said riff-raff.
ALTON: No, “rick-rack.”
GREGORY: Oh, okay.
ALTON: Feel this. It’s creating the texture of shingles.
GREGORY: That’s really interesting.
ALTON: In fact, studies have shown that while blind people and sighted people can feel different taps on their fingers in the same way, blind people have a lot more sensitivity on their fingers.
GREGORY: Oh, my God!
ALTON: It kind of looks like Gallop.
GREGORY: This is incredible.
And we have our finished dog house here.
ALTON: We’ve created these wooden panel sides, and then we created this shingle roof.
GREGORY: Ah!
ALTON: And then you can add your charitable contribution.
Yeah, so we had a card made in Braille, so we’ll stick that in there.
And then we’re going to add this cute little dog collar to hold it all together.
So it’s not just a contribution; it’s actually a gift that they get to keep.
I’m so excited for Molly to experience this gift in a way that I’ve never had a chance to experience something so tactile and different.
MITCHELL: Thank you guys for watching. Make sure you subscribe, and we’ll see you next time.
NARRATOR: The presents wrapped and folded, they tumble down the slide. Off to Molly Burke’s apartment, where she’ll find out what’s inside.
In the spirit of giving, we want to bring your attention to the donate button, where you can donate to Rainbow Railroad, which is a cause near and dear to our hearts.
So when we got back home, we found this little card left in our bags from Alton.
“All this holiday cheer does not need to end here. Choose one more creator for the Giving Train and let’s start a whole new chain.”
Happy holidays, we love you.
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This version removes any inappropriate language or references while maintaining the essence of the original transcript.
Gift – Something given to someone without expecting anything in return, often as a way to show appreciation or celebrate an occasion. – The artist received a set of new brushes as a gift for her outstanding painting.
Charity – An organization or effort aimed at helping those in need, often through donations or volunteer work. – The science club organized a charity event to raise funds for environmental conservation projects.
Senses – The faculties by which humans and animals perceive stimuli from the environment, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. – The art exhibit was designed to engage all the senses, with visual displays, music, and even scents.
Waste – Materials that are not needed and are discarded, often referring to the byproducts of human activity that can harm the environment if not managed properly. – The science teacher explained how recycling can help reduce waste and protect natural resources.
Wrapping – The material used to cover or protect something, often used to make gifts look more attractive. – The students used eco-friendly wrapping paper for their handmade gifts to promote sustainability.
Creative – Having the ability to produce original and imaginative ideas, often used in the context of art and innovation. – The creative project involved designing a new type of sculpture using recycled materials.
Cookbook – A book containing recipes and instructions for preparing various dishes, often used as a guide in culinary arts. – The young chef used a science-themed cookbook to learn how to make molecular gastronomy dishes.
Artist – A person who creates art, such as paintings, sculptures, or music, often using creativity and skill to express ideas or emotions. – The artist used vibrant colors to depict the beauty of nature in her latest painting.
Eco-friendly – Products or practices that are not harmful to the environment, often designed to conserve resources and reduce pollution. – The art class focused on creating eco-friendly sculptures using recycled materials.
Donation – A gift given to a cause or organization, often in the form of money or goods, to support its activities or help those in need. – The museum received a generous donation to fund a new exhibit on the science of art conservation.
