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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 14              Let’s Make A Model Recycling Box!                 K – 3
(For use in classrooms, schools or communities that have recycling programs.)

Skills: designing, model making

Time: one class period

Learning Objective: students will consider the design of recycling boxes; students will design their own recycling boxes for maximum usefulness and practicality.

NOTE: this Activity can be done in conjunction with OUR GARBAGE: ACTIVITY 14.

Materials and Equipment: supplies from the class "junk" pile including a variety of clean, used containers.

Activity:

1. Discuss with the students how recycled materials are collected and stored in their classroom, school, or home.

2. Discuss the features that would make a recycling container useful and practical:

• Shape
• Size
• Sturdy
• Stable
• Special design features (e.g. to hold the different categories of recyclables)
• Easy to carry

3. Have students select a container from the class "junk" pile suitable for making into model recycling containers, then decorate their model, using materials from the "junk" pile.

4. The containers could be Christmas, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day gifts to hold small jewellery, coins, etc.

Discuss with the students:

• Can we imagine recycling systems of the future that might not use recycling containers at all?

Ask students to design the recycling system of 2090, keeping in mind the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Students could build their systems, using "junk".

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

Click here to return to the Index for Re-Think