Please Recycle

I firmly believe we should honor the earth we live on everyday, by recycling the things we use everyday, and not just on April 22 each year. I’m certainly not against this date slated for national recognition; it’s just too bad it’s not a holiday we can take off from work! Ha! With this mentality, I would be on a constant holiday, never work again, because I would be recycling everyday!

I understand that not all cities and towns have recycling programs, however, our students should be taught the value of recycling. This year, my students will engage in an extended recycling theme because of an activity kit I stumbled upon at Dollar Tree. (Pictured below). If you don’t have access to this store, don’t fret, because the basic idea can be easily replicated with your own ingenuity and resources. 

Music Therapy Experience Name:

Please Recycle

Materials / Assembly needed:

(2) Recycle Activity (Sticker) Kits by Teaching Tree (available at Dollar Tree):

First kit is to be used as a guide by adhering stickers to the appropriate labeled front and then laminated.

Second kit: Cut the bottom ½ lines of each labeled front drop hole to allow stickers to drop through. Cut flaps to open the top of each cardboard box and size to height of labeled front if necessary. Glue each front to 4 small standing cardboard boxes (organic fruit rope box pictured).

Glue sticker pages to cardstock. Laminate. Cut each sticker out.

Memorize song lyrics.

Non-kit Material Ideas:

Use magazine or Board Maker pictures; or downloaded images; glue to cardstock, laminate, and cut out.  Make a double set of pictures if you wish to make guide sheets.      
(4) small Kleenex boxes with cut open tops, covered with plain contact paper and labeled: Aluminum, Compost, Paper / Cardboard, and Plastic.

Song Lyrics:  (to the tune of “Frere Jacques” / “Are You Sleeping?”)

Please recycle, please recycle

What do you have?  What do you have?

Is it food you’ve eaten?

Is it made of paper?

Plastic or tin?  Plastic or tin?

Procedure:

On a table or desk top, line up the 4 recycle boxes and box guides, if using, as pictured.

Spread the individual stickers (pictures) face down.

Have one student at a time pick up a sticker and look at it while you sing the lyrics.

Have the student determine which box the sticker should be dropped into by using the guide (matching).  Verbally or physically assist as necessary, to get the sticker into the correct box. Depending on your group size, each student will get several stickers to drop into the correct container. 

Extension:

When all the stickers have been dropped into the appropriate box, you and/or the students could conduct a short recap naming the contents of each box.

Teach and sing the following lyrics to the same tune:

We recycled. We recycled.

It was fun. It was fun.

The earth is better for it.

The earth is better for it.

Happy are we. Happy are we.

Pass out paper plates, plastic cups (or plastic castanets), and triangles to accompany the additional verse to end the activity. Ask your students which container they would place their "instrument" in. (Notice that I'm not asking you to pass out 1/2 eaten food!)

Liz and Sue