5 Learning Activities to Help Parents Teach Recycling to Kids

With news of global warming and climate change being more prevalent in all forms of media, it’s time to rethink what can be done to help mother nature heal. Waste is almost inevitable amid a consumerist lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be helped. For a start, companies could take more accountability about how much waste like plastic they are producing. Fortunately, some organizations have gone green are in the global fight for climate justice.

It is crucial to let the next generation know about what’s happening and what they can do to help. Initiatives like this can start at home and it’s never too late to start them young. One of the easiest ways to prevent usable stuff from ending up in landfills is to recycle them. The best way to teach children about recycling is by incorporating the lesson in activities. Below are some ideas:

Declutter

The first step to recycling is to see if excess materials are lying around your house. If you have piles of unused objects, take some time to sort out the things you need, recycle or upcycle, and sell. There are items such as scrap metals, electronics, and old mobile phones that you can sell online. By selling unused stuff online, you get money and cut down landfill waste, so it’s a win-win situation for everybody.

Make a Bird Feeder

Do you know what’s better than giving an object a second life? When it’s meant for a useful purpose such as giving nourishment to other creatures like birds. Making a bird feeder is an easy project that you can do with kids. You can use a wide range of materials to make it.

Bird feeders are crucial in winter because food is scarce. In this tutorial, you can make them using discarded milk or juice cartons, plastic bottles, coffee cans, teapots, and even old boots. You can use other stuff, too, as long as there is a section where birds and other small critters can get seeds.

Renew Crayons

In a house full of kids, there should always be coloring materials so they can make and explore art. Amid the creative chaos, you can almost always expect broken crayons. While they still color on paper, it loses its appeal because it no longer looks as pristine or put together as other coloring materials, especially when they’re out of their packaging.

Instead of throwing the broken ones, you can ’make’ new crayons by melting them. This tutorial involves the use of an oven, a muffin tin, and old crayons. Combine any colors you want and bake them according to the instructions. Give the new crayons enough time to cool down before using one.

Grow Plants in DIY Terrariums

A terrarium is basically a portable garden that grows actual plants in soil. The container is usually clear like glass and the entire thing can be sealed or not so that plants are watered as needed. If you don’t have clear glass bottles on hand, you can use plastic ones, like a big soda bottle, for example.

In this tutorial, you construct the terrarium as you normally would. You’ll need small tropical plants, pebbles, activated carbon, moss, potting soil, and a bit of decoration like a small toy animal. Apart from teaching kids about recycling, it is an opportunity to introduce them to how plants work and why they are important.

Hold a Recycling Scavenger Hunt

If you have no reusable items left at home, you can always head outside and collect some. When doing this activity, inform your kids of the do’s and don’ts of picking up stray rubbish and have them wear safety gloves for extra protection. Whatever garbage they find, they must also put them in the correct bins.

Hold a Clothing Drive for the Needy

Recycling can also mean letting others use the objects they don’t need. With autumn setting in and winter coming, there is no doubt that the cold season is here. The homeless and vagrants on the streets are without shelter and nights can be brutally freezing. Hold a clothing and coats donation drive in your local neighborhood or area.

Distribute the collected clothing and donate any extra you have to a local organization. This is a fantastic opportunity to let kids learn about empathy and kindness.

Learning Starts at Home

Kids are blank slates and it is crucial to fill their early years with lessons about kindness, empathy, and tolerance. While early childhood education inside a classroom is important, learning starts at home. Every opportunity counts, so make it worthwhile.

Do you have suggestions about fun recycling activities for kids? Share it down below.