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teach reduce, reuse, in the recycle classroom eachers and caregivers have As you begin the activities you reuse (such as metal spoons) Tlong used recycled items for below, explain your efforts to par- and which you throw into the children’s learning activities. ents and urge their cooperation. trash can (paper napkins). Tight budgets demanded it. Encourage parents to talk to their 2. For the next day or two, ask Recycling makes even more sense children about how they reduce, similar questions as children in today’s worrisome economic reuse, and recycle at home. engage in learning activities. times and increasing concerns “What do we do with leftover about climate change. Garbage collage paper scraps (clay, crayons, From a content perspective, it’s (Age 3 and older) paint)?” important to teach children recy- Here’s what you need: 3. Show children discarded items cling as a life skill, just as we ■ large paper bag or cardboard you’ve collected. Ask: “Where teach them hygiene, safety, and box do we put things we don’t nutrition, for example. We teach ■ poster board (preferably a used want anymore?” Use words children the foundation of the one) like trash, wastebasket, and litter. academic three R’s—reading, ■ glue 4. Invite children to make one or writing, and arithmetic—and we ■ small discarded items such as two rules about what to do can teach the foundation of the the pop-tops from aluminum with trash, such as “Put trash environmental three R’s—reduce, cans, straws, plastic lids, candy in a wastebasket.” “Don’t reuse, recycle. and gum wrappers, all washed throw trash on the ground.” The best way to teach all the and dried 5. Invite children to glue the items R’s is to practice them in every- on a poster board to make a day activities. Make sure any 1. After a routine activity, such as class collage. Write the rules on items you use in learning activi- eating lunch, engage children the poster board. ties are safe for children. They in a discussion about trash. need to be clean and free of sharp Sample questions: “Now that edges or points. For children 3 we’ve Þnished, what do we do and younger, items should not with things that are left over or pose a choking hazard. things we don’t want?” “What is trash?” “Where do we put trash?” Explain which items 32 TEXAS CHILD CARE / WINTER 2008 TEXAS CHILD CARE / WINTER 2008 33 Litter walk Back to the earth Let’s talk trash (Age 4 and older) (Age 3 and older) (Age 4 and older) Here’s what you need: Here’s what you need: Here’s what you need: ■ large paper or plastic bag ■ apple core, lettuce leaf, or other ■ chart of plastic recycling codes ■ camera fresh food scrap (Copy “Know Your Plastics” on ■ gloves, mittens, or socks for ■ plastic bottle page 15.) protecting children’s hands ■ polystyrene meat tray ■ book on garbage collection (see (optional) ■ glass list at the end of this article) ■ graph paper and marker ■ empty food can ■ sheet of newspaper 1. Take children on a brief tour of 1. Prepare for the activity by ■ small shovel your building and ask them to scouting for a spot along a ■ craft sticks point out containers of trash, nearby street or park where ■ pencil or marker such as wastebaskets, recycling you can pick up litter. Choose a bins, and dumpsters. Ask about spot free of ants, poison ivy, 1. Take children outdoors. Show what they see and smell. Talk and other hazards. the items and ask them to pre- about how some trash, such 2. Talk with children about litter. dict what would happen to soiled tissues and diapers, con- Explain the purpose of your them if they were buried in the tains germs and must not be litter walk and discuss safety ground handled. precautions. 2. Have children dig holes, one 2. Have children examine the bot- 3. Take children for a walk along for each different item. Write tom of plastic bottles in the the selected street. Photograph the name of each item on a recycling bin. Ask them to the area before picking up litter. craft stick to mark where it will describe what they see. Ask: Invite children to Þll the bag be buried. “What do the chasing arrows with litter. Supervise children 3. Place one item in each hole and mean?” “What do you think the so they avoid broken glass and cover with at least 3 inches of letters and numbers mean?” other hazardous items. Or have dirt. 3. Show children the chart and children protect their hands by 4. Wait for a month, and go back read it. Compare the codes on wearing gloves, mittens, or to dig up the items. Compare the bottles to those listed in the socks. Photograph the area their Þndings to their earlier chart. Explain that only one or afterward. predictions. Ask the children to two are accepted for recycling 4. When you return, have children describe what they Þnd. Use now, but that may change in sort the items. Make a graph words such as decay and decom- the future. Encourage them to showing items such as alu- pose. Ask which products are look for the codes on plastic minum cans, plastic bottles, biodegradable and which are items at home. glass bottles, potato chip bags, not? and paper cups. Ask: “Which Variation: With school-age chil- items did we Þnd most often?” dren, discuss how anthropolo- Don’t Mess with Texas “Which can we recycle and gists and paleontologists dig up which go into the garbage can?” things in the ground and learn “Don’t Mess with Texas” is a 5. Have children wash their about how ancient peoples lived. successful anti-litter campaign hands after handling litter. sponsored by the Texas 6. Compare the before-and-after Department of Transportation. photos. Talk about which scene Since 1988, the goal has is more appealing and why. been to keep litter off Texas Encourage children to make a roads. rule about not throwing trash A free litter bag or decal is available to Texas residents. along roadsides. Post the pic- To order, go online to tures and write the rule on the www.dontmesswithtexas.org. bulletin board. 34 TEXAS CHILD CARE / WINTER 2008 4. If possible, arrange to take chil- Invite children to peel the 2. Identify a sunny, level area in a dren outdoors when garbage oranges and eat the sections for corner of the yard or another and recycling trucks arrive for snack spot with good drainage and pickup. Ask children to 2. As children are eating, ask: out of trafÞc ßow. Collect fruit describe what’s happening. “What should we do with the and vegetable peelings in a Note whether trash containers peelings?” Accept all answers, classroom compost pot (see are emptied by hand or such as “Throw it away” and activity above) and green grass machine. Ask: “Why is it “Put it in the trash.” clippings from the yard. Make important to get rid of trash?” 3. Suggest that children put the sure the pieces are no larger “What do the workers do with peelings in the crock pot. Ask than 2 inches in size. the trash at the end of the day?” children to predict what will 3. Take children outdoors and ask 5. Read a book about garbage col- happen to the peelings. what happens to leaves and lection and show photos. Or 4. Invite the children to check the other plant matter as it dies and Þnd photos on the Internet. peelings every two days. Ask falls to the ground. Use words Ask: “Where do newspapers them to describe what they see such as decay, soil, nutrients, fer- and plastic bottles go?” “Where and smell. Use words like tilizer. Explain that nature does does the rest of the trash go?” moldy and rotting. not waste anything. “What’s a landÞll?” Variation: Use any fresh fruit 4. Encourage children to gather 6. Invite a sanitation engineer to with rind or peelings, such as up dried leaves, dried weeds, talk about recycling centers and grapefruit, pineapple, or kiwi and twigs. Explain that these landÞlls. Encourage the visitor fruit. Bananas are not advised are “browns.” Have children to bring photos. Ask: “What because they tend to attract fruit pile them on the selected spot would happen if we couldn’t ßies. Add vegetable scraps, such for the compost pile. Make sure get rid of all our trash?” Talk as potato peelings, wilted lettuce items are no larger than 2 inch- about why it’s important to leaves, and celery tops. es in size and the pile is no reduce the amount of trash we higher than the bin, about 3 throw out. Make a compost pile feet high. 7. Brainstorm with children some (Age 4 and older) 5. Bring out the “greens” (grass ways they can reuse and Here’s what you need: clippings and fruit and veg- reduce at school and at home. ■ wire fencing, 36 inches wide etable peelings). If you have Note: Invite children to check and 5-8 feet long been saving these for a week or out this Web site for children ■ pliers more, these will look slimy. done by Larimer County, Colo., ■ shovels Add the greens to the pile. www.larimer.org/SolidWaste/ ■ dried leaves, six parts by vol- 6. Invite children to spray or kidspages/funpages.htm. ume to kitchen waste sprinkle water on the pile and ■ fruit and vegetable peelings then stir the mixture.

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