Playtime Post: Fun With Recycling

A recycled newspaper tree!

In continuing with our Tu B'Shevat theme and learning about all the amazing things trees do for us, I find it inherently important to talk to children about the helpful things we can do for trees and nature as a whole. As a classroom teacher, I often used this theme as an opportunity to introduce the topic of recycling, reusing and being "resourceful" rather than wasteful. I love for children to have open access to paper products, art and writing materials. I often cringed, however, at the sight of a paper being used for one little doodle and tossed away. Similarly, I felt challenged by the times my students (or own child) did not take care of materials properly resulting in the need to throw them away. And then I am reminded that when we wish to teach a child how to use our resources, we must provide the whole lesson! We teach them how to gather their materials and what their intended uses are, but do we also take the time to show them how to put it away? Do we

One of my favorite DIY sorting activities to
encourage fine motor practice! 

provide concrete suggestions for ways to use a half-blank piece of paper or just say "please don't throw it away and be wasteful!" Furthermore, do we demonstrate resourcefulness in our own lives? It truly is a struggle. We have access to so many useful and disposable items. Perhaps, like me, you live in a location that does not provide recycling pick-up. As the dishes stack up, is it not just easier to grab one more paper plate and plastic fork? As a single college student, I lived an extreme level of eco-consciousness, avoiding most paper products, finding as many ways to reduce my consumption, reuse what I could and recycle what I could not. Truthfully, as a busy wife and mother, much of that lifestyle is no longer practical for me and my family. We strive to find a balance that works for our family and models the value we place in being resourceful with our environment as well as with our time and our finances. The greatest opportunity (and inspiration, for that matter), however, comes from introducing these concepts to children!

Invitation to Create Recycled Art Animals (with 4/5 year olds)

 A collection of my own recycled art animals

One year in my classroom the interest in recycling was so high, I introduced a permanent recycling bin into our classroom alongside our scrap paper bin. Children brought in items from home and donated items from their lunches. We used empty yogurt containers for glue and paint. We used magazines and paper scraps for collages or partially used papers for getting scribbles out before committing to a clean sheet of paper. And every so often we had "empty the recycling bin" days during which I provided an open invitation to create recycled art using any and all of the items in the bin plus other arts and crafts materials we had on deck. Sometimes I would connect this with a learning theme, like animals or space, and other times I left it completely open. "What can you make with this?" we would sing and the children always astounded me with their creations!

Our Scrap Paper and Recycling Bins at home

I always say one of my favorite days of each school year is the one when my students "discover" the scrap paper bin and start to creatively use what's inside. I just recently introduced a scrap paper basket and recycling bin to my son's art center. I gave very little direction on what it was and what it was for. He inherently took to both over the last couple of weeks, reminding me yet again that creativity and ingenuity are qualities children inherently have toward anything they have access to and the more we encourage and nurture that, the more resourceful they will grow to be! Setting up an afternoon of play-based centers for him to explore and manipulate seemed like the best way to teach him about the topic of recycling.

 When I first set out the scrap paper and recycling bins, I verbally explained he could use what's inside to create whatever he wanted and use any of the other materials on his shelves along with it. It was a few days before he walked over during a free playtime and got his art mat, a couple of pairs of scissors and a couple of glue sticks and a few of our paper scraps and created this collage. He loves working with scissors and paper scraps are a perfect medium for practicing with!

The recycling bin itself seemed to require no explanation at all! He got busy right away finding uses for what was inside and was eager each day to add empty cardboard tubes, plastic containers and cardboard materials from packages as the opportunity arose.

I designated an afternoon to set out some recycling themed play stations he could independently rotate through. This is a less "formal" style of teaching a theme, but one I love to incorporate in our routine, particularly on days I have a lot of housework to accomplish. In addition, I think our more child-led, open-ended afternoons are particularly helpful to my son on days where our mornings were more busy or more structured. 

Invitation to Create Art with Recycled Materials

Invitation to BUILD with Recycled Materials (and some toy cars!)

Sticker Fun with Paper/Cardboard Recyclables and a Recycling Bin (part of a great sorting set from Dollar Tree). I wanted this to be an independent activity for my toddler who is not quite at the level to independently sort paper/cardboard, compost, metals and plastics just yet! He does, however LOVE peeling and sticking stickers--a great fine motor activity!

He spent a significant amount of time building and testing ramps, tunnels and tubes! 

Painting...

...cutting....

...and more cutting were all big hits at the Recycled Art station!

He LOVED playing in his rice sensory bin. He even chose a significant portion of the recycled items we put inside on his own. In potentially related news, he also independently got his broom, dust pan and dust brush when he discovered drainage holes in the bottom of this empty cherry tomato container!

An afternoon of fun and play need not cost a lot of money or require a lot of fancy set up and involvement. You can definitely have and create a lot of fun with some household staples and the items inside your recycling bin. We value things we feel a sense of ownership over and if we wish to teach our children to value both natural and man-made resources, allowing them the opportunity to manipulate, explore and create with them is a wonderful opportunity for them to gain that sense of ownership. Happy playing!