Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle for Earth Day

In this Remarkable Idea, we learn about, and practice these three things to help protect the environment.

This activity addresses:

• Critical Thinking
• Social skills
• Fine Motor
• Alternative methods of access

What you need:

• TalkingBrix
• Stickers or labels reminding everyone to turn things off if not needed (you can make your own, or free stickers can be downloaded and printed from here: http://www.carbontrust.com/resources/guides/energy-efficiency/employee-awareness-and-office-energyefficiency#posters.
• Glass, plastic, paper, and aluminum items (actual items or pictures on a tablet to reduce printing)
• Silicone mold (any shape you desire, can be found at craft stores)
• Old broken crayons/crayon pieces
• Construction paper
• Old scrap paper
• School glue
• Plastic wrap
• Shredder
• Ceramic bowls (that you don’t mind being without for a few days)

Preparation:

• Print stickers or labels
• Record “green”, “purple”, and “orange” to TalkingBrix.
• Record categories to TalkingBrix for your sorting game (glass, plastic, paper, aluminum). To make the game simpler use categories (recyclable and non-recyclable).
• Shred paper, keep shreds.
• Create overlays using the AbleNet Symbol Overlay Maker app.

What to do:

Label the Areas We Can Reduce

1. Working together as a class, find things in the classroom where we can reduce usage (shut computer off when not in use, turn off faucet if not in use, etc.)
2. Place appropriate label or sticker on or near items.

Repurposed Crayons and Paper

Crayons

1. Have students gather broken crayon pieces and sort them into piles of the same color.
2. Ask students what color they would make when they combine (red/blue, yellow/blue, red/yellow). Students can use TalkingBrix to answer.
3. Place crayon pieces of the same color into the silicone mold, place into a preheated oven (230 degrees) and bake for 15-minutes. Remove crayons from oven and allow to cool. Remove your new crayons from the mold.

Paper

1. Wrap a ceramic bowl with plastic wrap and place face down on the table.
2. Using a lot of glue (the more the better), smear glue on the plastic wrap then place the paper scraps on top of the glue and press into place until the entire bowl is covered. Allow to dry for 2 to 3 days.
3. When dry, turn the bowl over and peel off the plastic wrap and remove your new paper bowl from the ceramic bowl. Trim the edges for a smooth edge.

Recycle Game

1. Using actual objects (or pictures on an iPad or tablet to reduce printing) challenge students to determine if an object is recyclable or non-recyclable. Students can answer using the TalkingBrix.
2. For a more difficult game, challenge students to tell what an item is made out of (glass, plastic, paper, or aluminum) using the TalkingBrix.
3. Give all students a turn or split the class into teams for an Earth Day game.