Kids love a project and they love to learn. It’s best to start recycling with them at an early age. They will accept it as second nature and will enjoy helping find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle all kinds of things you hadn’t even thought of.
The classroom is a good place to start and we found some fun ideas you might like to try.
Get them involved in a recycling contest. They love competing with other classes or teams. You can set a time limit and decide what items will be accepted. Having visible progress charts can motivate the students to keep bringing in items for the win.
Decorating your recycle bins is another fun idea. You can use scraps of colored paper, ribbon, and small trinkets to decorate your existing recycle bins. You’ll be reusing classroom materials and the kids will get to practice their creativity.
You could hold a recycled art challenge. Have the students help gather all kinds of paper, beads, egg cartons, cardboard boxes, yogurt cups, and anything else they can think of to create art with. They will be learning about how many things can be reused before they hit the landfill and they’ll have a great time creating art projects.
Plant trees in the schoolyard or start vegetables in the classroom. Children learn about collecting seeds and growing a new plant from an old one. It is an opportunity to talk about water usage and not wasting. You can also discuss the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between plants and humans that benefits them both.
A coat and mitten drive would be a double benefit as it helps families clear out their closets and provides people in need with warm clothing for the winter. Kids can feel good about themselves as they see the volume of coats that begin to pile up for people in their community.
These are just a few ideas to get you started with the kids. They are a great place to start and they make every project fun. You can find more ideas for your classroom at 21 Ideas Big and Small to Bring Recycling Into the Classroom.