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Hi Priscilla! I also love to talk about recycling and how we can save the earth one day at a time. I once worked on an Earth day thematic unit, and used the following: file:///C:/Users/Autumn/Documents/EarthDayMiniUnitFreebie.pdf

I hope that this will be of use to you! It touches on other subjects too, such as math and language arts. 

Question: Do you think we should talk to our children about saving the earth every day, rather than just on Earth Day? I feel as though it should be talked about more frequently, and discussed among our children at an early age.

Hi Priscilla,

Recycling is a very important topic that students should learn about due to the various environmental issues that are occurring in our world today.  Because recycling is something that people of all ages can do, teaching them this practice will make young students feel that they are being helpful and making a difference in the world.

In one of my education courses that I took, I designed a first grade lesson plan about the environment and recycling.  I introduced the topic by tossing packaging peanuts in front of a turned-on fan so that the peanuts would blow around the room.  I had the students explain what they noticed/observed.  I then explained that similar to how these peanuts were flying around the room, trash that is improperly disposed of blows around our communities.  Throughout the lesson, I explained how they could help reduce trash around their communities, which allowed me to talk about recycling.  This is just one way that recycling could be introduced that I feel will make your students feel excited about the topic.

I agree with you that you should teach your students that recycling can be fun. I have been in several classrooms that have done engaging activities that use recycled materials that students bring in.  For example, I was in a classroom where the teacher had the students bring in old magazines, ads, wrapping paper, etc.  The students cut the images and wrapped them tightly around a pencil.  After gluing down the one end, the students pulled the ad off of the pencil, which made a hollow bead.  After making several beads, the students placed them onto a string, which became a necklace.  I was in another classroom where the teacher had her students bring in empty milk cartons, Kleenex boxes, and plastic water bottles. She told them that they were going to make things that they can use in the classroom.  For instance, the students made pencil holders out of the water bottles, bins made out of Kleenex boxes to hold appreciation/friendship notes, and containers made out of the milk cartons that were used to collect items, such as classroom tokens that were turned in for treats.  Throughout the year, the students could see how their “inventions” served a valuable purpose.

In all, I feel that recycling is a great topic to teach students.  If you want students to bring in recyclable things from their homes and you are unsure of exactly what to do with them, you may even venture and ask the students what they would like to do with it.  This will allow the students to exercise their creativity and show them how they can be resourceful. 

~Melanie