Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Earth Day Recycling Activity

Earth Day is fast approaching and I love being able to share with my students ways in which they can help protect our planet. I thought I would share with you the activity we have been working with this week! This is a very simple activity/lesson to prepare for...especially if you are already a "recycler" like me! :)

I started by gathering a small collection of recyclable items from my recycling bin. 


(I've added a few more items to this collection to include more aluminum cans and glass bottles.) 

Then I decided I needed a book to help explain the recycling process. I went to my elementary school's library and this is the book that I found. This book by Gail Gibbons has great illustrations of the process of recycling and is an easy book to paraphrase so that all ages of students can participate in the activity. 

                                       

After introducing the idea/process of recycling we then used our collection of items and sorted them into different containers. Some students were able to make connections to this activity and shared that they recycled at home. To see their faces when they make a connection and share a personal story is wonderful! 

We had four bins: paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum (cans). In the bottom of each bin I placed a visual of each type of material we were sorting. The students were very engaged in this activity and enjoyed picking items out of the bag. After each student had an item, we labeled the item and then described what it was made of. 




At the conclusion of our sorting activity, the students were very excited to see the many available options of items that can be recycled. 

To follow this activity, I made a category sort activity that uses task cards and sorting mats. This activity can be downloaded for free from my TPT store at the following link: 


I also created a poster that I hung out my office door for Earth Day! You can find it for free here:




Thank you for your support and for visiting my blog. Please leave feedback if you download either item from my TPT store! 

Take care, 
~Natalie

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