Recycling Prop Box

This is a prop box I constructed for students about recycling. It contains books and activities for children to work on independantly or in groups. It's great for centers and for letting students take science and exploration into their own hands.

As you can see, instead of a regular box, I created a recycling bin to hold all of my activities. I thought it was a fun way to connect the box to the content, and it shows children what a recycling bin looks like so they'll know to use them in the future.

These are the books that I included in the prop box. There is a mix of fiction and nonfiction to give students well rounded sources to learn.  Before playing the games and doing the activities, students can read these books and gather information about what they can do to recycle and why they should recycle. It also gives them background information so they can successfully complete the activities in the box. These books can also be used for whole group reading time to introduce the content.

Why Should I Recycle? by Jen Green
Recycle Every Day by Nancy Wallace
Michael Recycle by Alexandra Colombo


These are the activities I included in my box:
The first is a sorting game that children can play. They will be given some items that are glass, some that are aluminum, some that are plastic, and some that are paper. They will have to sort the items in the different "recycling bins." This is a small activity meant to be played at a table, but it can also be turned into a relay race if it is brought outside. It can be done individually or in groups. This is beneficial to students because it shows them what can be recycled and how to separate recyclables.

 

The second activity is a craft that uses recycled items. Children will create a musical instrument of their choice using items that would normally be thrown in the trash.
They will use the following items:

 to create a musical instrument of their choice. Some examples of these instruments are as follows:

These are the instructions given to the children.

 

Children's creativity can soar during this lesson. There's no limit to what they can do.

This shows students a way you can reuse items to make something creative.

The next activity I included has students creating a poster on why everyone should recycle. They will be told that it is one hundred years from now, and people have stopped recycling. It's their job to hang up posters around the town to convince people why they should start recycling again. There is paper, colored pencils, markers, and crayons provided. They will include at least three reasons why people should recycle and draw a picture that represents recycling.

To keep exploring....Check out these cool resources! There's a lot about recycling you may not know!

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Online Recycling Games
Watch Jack Johnson sing about recycling!




Reading Science with Your Child

Here are some great books about many different science topics that you and your children can read together outside of school. Teacher-Approved!

Animals in Danger by Melvin Berger

This book shows children how certain animals are in danger. They learn about how their habitats are getting ruined and the cost of these ruins. Help your student be more environmentally conscious.

 

If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian

Dive into the world of geology with your child as you learn about rocks in this book. Rocks are everywhere...get your child thinking about what they see in the world around them!






Look Who Lives in the Desert by Alan Baker

Learn about a scorpion, kangaroo rat, roadrunner, woodpecker, gila monster, iguana, puma, spadefoot toad, kit fox and a locust in this book about animals in the desert. 






What Happens in Spring? By Sara Latta

This book is from the I Like the Seasons! Series by Sara Latta. There are versions for spring, summer, fall, and winter, so they’re a great way to teach students about the seasons.

Tracks in the Wild by Betsy Bowen

This picture book teaches students about the different animals in North America. They will learn that every animal has a footprint unique to itself. After you read, go outside and look for tracks in your own backyard!







Fireflies in the Night by Judy Hawes

 You and your child will learn tons about fireflies that you probably never knew by reading this book. A young girls goes to visit her grandparents' farm for the summer, and they teach her some very interesting facts about these creatures.

 

Honey Bees and Hives by Lola Schaefer

Did you ever wonder how bees make honey? Do you know how many flowers a bee has to visit to make a pound of honey? Do you know how pollination works? This book holds the answers!

Lola M. Schaefer (Author)

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The Best Book of Volcanoes by Simon Adams

Did you know that there are different kinds of volcanoes? What about the fact that there can be volcanoes under water? Find out all the facts you didn't know about volcanoes in this informative book!

Nature Spy by Ken Kreisler



You and your child can look at beautiful photographs of nature together in this book. Pay attention to the shapes, sizes, and patterns you can find! When you're finished, go outside and make your own discoveries!

A Ladybug's Life by John Himmelman

This text explains the life cycle of a ladybug accompanied by bright and child friendly pictures. The book even includes a glossary full of terms that children may not know.



Science at Home!

These Activities are fun and educational, and can be done at home with your child. Have fun and watch science happen right in front of your eyes!


Cauldron Bubbles
This activity is great for Halloween or any time of the year! With your child, you can use water, oil, and salt to create your very own bubbling cauldron! Make predictions and see what happens in this exciting experiment!

Squishy Eggs
Did you ever think an egg could feel soft or squishy? By sitting an egg in vinegar for a couple days, you may be surprised at what happens.

Musical Bottles
Does your child love music? In this activity, just a few recyclables and some water can create a symphony of beautiful music. Give it a try!

Make your own Fossil!
Have you ever found a fossil or seen one in a museum? How would you like to make your own prehistoric piece of memorabilia? With a few simple steps, you and your child can create a piece of history.

Invisible Ink
Do your children enjoy writing secret messages? In this activity, you and your child can create invisible ink that appears when heat is applied to it! Make sure that an adult is present during this activity.

Attract a Firefly!
Take your child out in the back yard at night to catch fireflies! With just a small flashlight, you can get any firefly to come right to your jar!

Curds and Whey
With just vinegar and a microwave, you can turn your milk into a solid!

Parachutes!
Have your child create a parachute with a shopping bag and yarn. Experiment making toys, eggs, or anything you'd like float down from the sky!

Fingerprints!
Become an FBI agent for a day! Use a pencil and some Scotch tape to create and analyze your own fingerprints, just like they do in the science labs.

A Sticky Situation
Make your own glue with your child! Get Sticky!

Lesson Plans that will Make your Child's Mind Soar!

Friction in our Lives

This lesson plan is a great and fun way to teach students about friction. Students work in groups using toy cars and a variety of smooth and rough surfaces to discover how friction works. They learn about how friction affects speed and movement. They communicate with each other and explain their observations. There are also adaptations for younger and older students, so this activity can be used for almost any age.

 

The Solar System

This lesson plan about the solar system is hands on and kid friendly in many ways. By simply collecting household spherical objects such as different types of balls, citrus fruits, balloons, and marbles, children can create their own solar system. They can organize their planets in order of size and weight, and learn about the distance between each planet. Many facts about the solar system are presented in this lesson and children will learn a great deal while being engaged.

 

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

In this lesson, children learn the science of why we have seasons and can paint or draw and write about the seasons. By making a list of descriptive words of each season, children will expand their vocabulary and have their own list of words that they can use to write and draw about their season.

 

Classifying Animals

Children are naturally curious about animals. In this lesson, students will come up with their own ideas about how they think animals are classified and then learn the actual classification of animals into mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

 

The Changes of a Butterfly

In this lesson, students observe the metamorphosis that a butterfly goes through. They record their findings through writings and pictures in their “butterfly journals” that they create as a class.

 

Let's Explore Space!

How many of your children have said they wanted to grow up and be an astronaut? In this activity, students will learn about the brave men who’ve already explored outer space and create a timeline of these events.

 

Go Green!

Students will learn the reasons why “going green” is important and how it can help the environment and community. They will understand the benefits of grass and plans on the environment.

 

Alien Pen Pals

This lesson plan is great to have students show what they’ve learned about the planet Earth. They will write a letter to an “alien pen pal” from another planet describing our planet to them. They go through the writing process, including brainstorming, prewriting, revising, and editing to write their letter.