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3.25.2007

Use trash in school

When I was in high school I was on the fore front of making reycling mainstream, soon it took off and now people expect it. Now I think that we can use recyclable materials in school to teach creativity.

On Treehugger TV they have a couple videos that show how an interior designer used recycled materials to create a modern eclectic space that is eco-friendly.

Currently in one of my 7th grade classes we are making board games out of recycled materials that serve as an educational tool on earthday. I am hoping in the process the students learn a little about the environment while learning to creatively think about "trash". We'll see.

2 comments:

Will Piper said...

I think using recyclables to make board games is a terrific idea. I think middle school is a great time to teach about environmental issues because kids seem pretty open-minded and can also develop passions to continue to work to better the environment. If you are interested in doing a field trip with your kids regarding recycling, I would highly recommend Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful’s “Waste in Place.” We did this program with my 5th graders this winter and it was powerful. We are also doing a service learning project with Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers where we will be cleaning up tributary areas in Brown Deer Park and recycling items we found. I agree that using technology can be a great way to encourage kids to be more environmentally conscious.

chris z said...

One of the things that try to teach my students in woods is how to use materials responsibly. Its hard sometimes to teach kids this because they never have to pay anything. Almost all my students are given everything no matter how much abuse the stuff.