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Re-Think Activities
An educational Unit for children up to Grade 4
Written by Valerie Thom, B.Ed. and edited by Allard W. van Veen, APR, Fellow, CPRS

This unit has six chapters, each filled with information, ideas and projects. Words in bold and in italics are featured in the glossary which you can reach by clicking here

REUSING AND RECYCLING: ACTIVITY 11                   Is It New?                                         K – 3

Skills: making a poster

Time: one class period

Learning Objective: students will reconsider their attitudes towards using/owning pre-owned (second hand) items as opposed to always having new items; students will consider the benefits to the environment of reusing rather than always buying new.

NOTE: OUR GARBAGE: ACTIVITY 11 also examines the concept of reusable garbage.

Materials and Equipment: samples of old items, some that can be recycled in your community, and some that can’t but which could be reused such as old clothing, furniture, etc.

Activity:

1. Ask students to look up scavenger in the dictionary OR continue to #2.

2. Explain to students the historical importance of scavenging by people as part of the solid waste disposal system, from ancient to recent times: Scavenging was an accepted way of living, and still is in developing countries today. Human scavengers retrieve reusable items from the garbage for resale or reuse. Ironically, with the development of organized garbage disposal and controlled sanitary landfills, the opportunities for scavenging have become very limited.

3. Have students suggest items that they’ve seen thrown out that could have been used again in some way.

Discuss with the students:

Is there anything wrong with repairing and reusing items, rather than buying new?

How does reusing help the environment? (Reduces the consumption of resources and energy used in the manufacturing of new items.)

Give examples of items that you and/or your family now own that were previously owned, used, or worn by someone else. (Clothing, cars, furniture, etc.)

Give examples of items that are considered more valuable even though they are not new. (Antiques, painting, some cars, etc.)

Help students to realize that many items can be repaired, and/or given away or sold so that others can reuse the items.

Have students make a chart comparing the advantages and disadvantages of buying new items compared to "previously owned" items. Be sure to include the environmental costs.

Some activities that your class or school could undertake to emphasize reuse:

Arrange with a suitable charity to collect specific items that the students can bring in, such as unwanted clothing, or toys.

Compile information for the students to take home about local agencies/charities that will take reusable household items. (The reference pages in your local phone book may list such agencies.)

Arrange a Toy and/or Clothing Exchange (or Sports Equipment, or ?) to be held at the school.

Organize a Giant Garage Sale.

Encourage students to suggest other ways in which unwanted items that might still be useful to other could be kept out of the dump. For instance, in some communities, the day before a special garbage pick-up is designated as Community Sharing Day. On that day, citizens are encouraged to put out unwanted items so that others may come along and take what they want from the share piles. The remainder is collected in the special garbage pick-up the next day.

Click here to return to the Index for Chapter 5 and more activities

Click here to return to the Index for Re-Think