Recycling activities- The A-Z of .....
For more information about recycling, please contact:
Environmental Health
Tel: 01276 707100
Fax: 01276 707177
environmental.health@surreyheath.gov.uk
Surrey Heath House
Knoll Road
Camberley
Surrey GU15 3HD
The A-Z is a flexible structure that has been successfully applied to several recycling activities. The following sections outline the 'waste', paper & cardboard recycling and composting activities and provide links to downloadable resources.
The A-Z of Waste
The aim of the exercise is for children to look at household items that are commonly put into rubbish bins.
This activity is suitable for young children (Year 2 or 3), in its basic form and usually takes about 30 minutes. The level of complexity can be increased by the leader (or Teacher), to suit the ability of the group or the time available.
The hands-on part is physically sorting out what can be reused and/or recycled. The tasks that are involved are listed below (in order of complexity);
- identify different objects
- match the object to a letter of the alphabet
- identify what objects are made from
- suggest how the item could be reused
- decide if the item can or cannot be recycled
- place object in the appropriate bin (reuse, recycle or dustbin)
Several resources relating to The A-Z of 'waste' are available;
- the quick guide to this activity Opens in a new window (pdf)
- A-Z list of waste Opens in a new window- bin contents (xls)
A photo showing this activity in progress can be found in the Autumn issue of Heathscene and information about different materials can be found on the What can I recycle ? page of this site.
The A-Z of paper and card recycling
To complete this activity, children have to think of an item made from either paper or card for each letter of the alphabet.
This activity can be done as an exercise in 'quick thinking' - and can take as little as 15 minutes to complete...
This activity works better with slightly older children (Year 4 or 5) but thinking of better alternatives to Quiz books, Zebra print paper and Inky paper should certainly be a joyful challenge for most children!
The following resources in relation to this activity are available to view and download;
- A-Z list of paper & card recycling Opens in a new window possibilites (xls)
- an example of modifying this activity Opens in a new window to suit your school (pdf)
Compost Cake & The A-Z of composting
'The compost cake' activity was devised to illustrate the balance of 'Wet' and 'Dry' ingredients needed for successful composting. This can be a great activity with small groups of Year 3 or 4 children (with the aid of several adult helpers!). It is a very hands-on approach to understanding the balance needed within a composter and is a good starting point to learning about composting.
- Download the recipe card for compost cake Opens in a new window (word doc)
The A-Z of composting is rather more challenging than the other A-Z activities. Therefore it is more 'fruitful' if it can be done as a follow-up exercise, possibly after 'The Compost Cake' activity. Thinking of items that can be composted (for every letter of the alphabet) can be quite a challenge and is an interesting activity for Year 5 or 6 pupils. The list is available by following the link below and codes each ingredient in green for 'wet' and brown for 'dry'.
L, m, q, u, x, y and z are still waiting suggestions.....!
Information on composting is available from the WRAP website Opens in a new window or the recycling in the kitchen and recycling in the garden pages on this site.
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