Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

The Touch and Feel this morning was all about exploring different kinds of trash!  We didn't know what to expect because, as always, there weren't any specific directions for the kiddos.  They used their imaginations and came up with plenty to keep them busy.  They sorted, played music, bagged groceries, placed orders with each other, and even played a tossing game.  Who knew trash was so entertaining!

Ms. Michelle was here today.  She had another obstacle course full of fun! The kids had to carry a covered phone book (which is heavier than you think) from the starting point to a stick tower.  Each child had to add to the tower.....very carefully so it wouldn't fall.  Then, each child took a turn "fishing".  Ms. Michelle had these large, wooden scissors that they had to use to pick up the weighted fish and carry them to the fishing bucket.  At first it was a race to the finish, but then the kids started to make up a story line to go along with the fishing.  They were yelling "don't get muddy" and when they dropped their fish they would say "the fish got away".  They even pretended to fall in the water!  There was a lot of giggling!!

For our messy finger fun, we made a birdseed, flour, salt ball.  The kids took turns following the recipe and adding the ingredients. Then we mixed in up and put it in little balls.  After we washed our hands, we took it outside and left it for the birds to enjoy.  The kids all watched during the playground time to see if any birds came by for a snack, but we didn't see any!






















Today's book was The Three Little Recyclers by Robin Koontz.  This story was similar to a story that is familiar to all the kids....with a slight twist.  Three pigs build their houses out of recycled materials, but when a trash-collecting wolf comes by, the houses are carried away with the garbage.  The third pig stops the wolf in his tracks and says that his house isn't trash.....it's RECYCLED!


For our circle time, we talked about some new vocabulary words.  Reduce, reuse, and recycle.  We talked about what those words mean and how we can help keep our Earth clean by doing all those things.  We talked about the kinds of things that you could recycle.......and the kinds of things that were just trash.  The kids took turns classifying the different materials from the Touch and Feel and sorting them into like piles.  We had a pile of plastic, a pile of aluminum cans, and a pile of paper.  No glass in our recycling.....it's too dangerous for kids!


For art, we REUSED a old can to make a decorative picture frame.  The kids painted the cans and we glued a picture in the center.  They LOVED this project.  It was messy....and they are particularly fond of projects that include pictures of themselves!

 

 

All that learning today made us a little late for lunch.  The kids were all talking about the trash and the things that they should recycle from their lunch boxes!  It is really neat to see them take their new learning and apply it to real situations!