Earth Day was Sunday, April 22 so in the days following my first graders celebrated by learning how to become "planet janitors". The lessons taught the uses and abuses of Earth's natural resources. One activity we did was go on a nature hike and discussed and experienced our local natural resources. The hike was lead by a fourth grade class that taught about erosion that the streams cause, the types of trees, and the safety of hiking.
Within the next few days our class headed out with the other first grade classes to collect trash from around the school property. The students then sorted through the trash and were shocked to learn that most of the "trash" was recyclable. The first graders did many activities that revolved around the reduce, reuse, and recycle movement. I found that during this unit it was extremely important for us teachers to set a good example. There are two links below that I just fell in love with. Enjoy! <3
Making a memory game from recycled bottle caps. This page provides the printable to make an alphabet memory game but I took it one step further and noticed that you could use the idea to create any memory game, for example money coins. Click the following link to check it out: www.artistshelpingchildren.org
Reusable sandwich and snack bags are a great way to set an example for students as well. "...every day, more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches go into landfills in the US", we can help cut down that waste. There are a few companies out there but I found lunch skins because another school in the area is selling lunch skins as a fundraiser for their PTO. A family run company that provides fundraising opportunities for schools? - Can't go wrong! Hope you enjoy the following link: www.lunchskins.com
*Remember to be creative with the items that you throw in the recycle ... and remember to pass that creativity onto your students!
