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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 2 -   ***The Hunt For The Recycling Symbol                 K – 3

Skills: none

Time: two class periods, one week apart

Learning Objective: students will be able to identify the recycling symbol (the Mobius Loop); students will understand the use of the recycling symbol; students will consider the importance of the recycling symbol to consumers.

Materials and Equipment: samples of the recycling symbol on various products; paper strips; 3 cm x 15 cm, at least one per student.

Activity:

1. Ask who can draw the recycling symbol for the class, or draw the symbol on the board yourself.

2. Discuss:

• What is the symbol made of? (Three arrows)
• How does it explain the idea of recycling? (Keep going around)
• What other words have the root "cycle" in them (e.g. bicycle)?
• How are these words related to "recycle"?

3. Show students how to make a Mobius Loop. (Take a narrow piece of paper about 15 cm long. Twist the paper once, and glue the ends together.)

4. Have students draw along one side of the completed loop with a pencil.

5. Discuss what happens, and point out that the recycling symbol shows a Mobius Loop (broken up into arrows) to show that things keep going around.

6. Explain to students why the loop is broken into three arrows.

7. Ask students to look out for the recycling symbol at home for the next week and bring to class as many objects as they can find which display the recycling symbol.

When students have brought in their examples:

8. Discuss the examples with the students. Help the students to realize that the symbol is currently used in two ways:

• To identify items that contain at least some recycled materials, such as paper products.
• To identify materials that can be recycled, such as shampoo bottles.

9. Divide the examples brought in to show the two uses of the recycling symbol.

10. Prepare a display of the items the students brought in, with information prepared by the students on why this symbol is important.

RE…Think

Discuss with the students:

• How do you think the recycling symbol can help us when we are out shopping?
• When a product is made out of recycled materials, does it mean that it is a poorer quality than one that is not made out of recycled materials?
• How does choosing items made out of recycled materials help our environment?

Have students make up a list of ideas, then have students select one or two ideas to use in making a poster to promote the use of items displaying the recycling symbol.

With the students, draft a letter to the parents which explains why purchasing recycled/recyclable items is important for the environment, and which asks them to please look for the symbol when shopping so that they can make environmentally positive decisions about which products to purchase.

For Older Students:

Older students may wish to research the mathematician, August Mobius.

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

Click here to return to the Index for Re-Think