Earth Day: Revamp, Repurpose, Reuse

 When I was a kid in the eighties, we learned about the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  But, in those days, we spent most of our time talking about just one of those Rs.  Recycling was new to lots of communities.  The ideas of buying beige, recycled filler paper or of separating cans and newspapers from the rest of the trash were new and a lot to get used to.  But, the other parts of the plan are just as important.

This year, for Earth Day, spend some time talking about reusing the things we normally discard.  Use your old juice mix containers to contain a collection.

 

 Or, save empty cans and jars to use for gift-giving later.

Get students into the spirit of reuse by reading Antoinette Portis' Not a Box, about all the exciting ways a cardboard box can become so much more.

After the read-aloud, let students get creative and design new purposes for old boxes using the Not a Box printable from Harper Collins.  Click Book Activity under the Downloads section.

Finally have students collect discarded items and craft their own conservation inventions.

 

**Check out the BBQ grill I reused as an herb garden at Urania's Inspiration.