Students first learned about polystyrene -both its benefits as a durable and versatile material and its determinants as a non-biodegradable material. Then, they received a comprehensive lab tour to understand the purpose of each instrument and the significance of each one's results. They were introduced to the idea of error and the various statistical tools that assess it, including error bars, standard deviation, and error propagation. Finally, they were taught the importance of maintaining a detailed lab notebook that outlined all steps of an experiment and recorded results. Lab protocols were emphasized, including the wearing of PPE, cleaning and preparing lab equipment, and safely transporting and storing samples.