Hobbies And Interests
Tours
Landfill tours allow kids to see the enormity of the amount of waste we produce. On a tour they can learn about how landfills operate, how fast they fill up and what kinds of wastes are being disposed of that could be recycled or reused. They can learn about problems of seepage and pollution as well. Visiting a recycling plant teaches them about what can be reused and how it is processed. They can see how much room can be saved in a landfill by reusing and recycling while learning about how much energy and water are saved by using recycled materials instead of raw resources.
Reducing
Have a group list ways that they can produce less waste individually, such as taking their own bags shopping, then devise methods for the group to adopt to reduce waste. Give each child a bag to carry to collect all of their waste every day for a week so they can see how much, and what kind of, waste they produce. Take them for a clean-up walk to collect litter from the local environment. Sort the waste with the group, letting them pick out things they can reuse and those that can be recycled, letting everyone contribute ideas. Store waste they can reuse in boxes and save for later and put recyclables into recycle bins.
Reusing
Make things with the reusable items that have been collected. Make musical instruments with items that will make sounds. For instance, flatten metal bottle tops and pound a hole through them with a nail, then string them between two sticks to make clackers. Buckets can be used as drums. Old socks can be turned into puppets, and boxes or cartons can be used to make doll houses or puppet stages, with other items being used to make props or furniture. All sorts of items can be used to make sculptures or mobiles. Encourage all ideas that promote the reuse of waste items.These projects will teach kids think about useful ways to use items before throwing things away.
Nature Ideas
Make a class compost pit with your group. Let everyone in the group contribute their waste to the pit. Collect thrown out plastic bottles for planters. Cut the bottles in half and poke holes in the bottom for water drainage, then plant seeds in them and prepare a garden space for them to be planted later. Use the compost to fertilize the garden, then plant the plants. Save the plastic planters for reuse. You can also teach children about making a conservation business by having kids make lots of planters to sell. They may also want to sell compost in recycled bags for other people in the community to use in their own gardens.