SUPER FAB LAB INVESTIGATION:
Recycling Investigat ion
Episode: Reused Robot
Cycle: Environment and Habitat
Purpose (What We’re Going to Explore and Learn)
When we throw something away, it doesn’t just disappear. It ends up in a landfill. We
can reduce the amount of waste we send to landfills and take better care of the earth by
reducing the waste we create and by re-using things when possible. Another way to
reduce waste is by recycling materials-such as glass bottles, plastic milk jugs, and
newspaper-so that they can go to new uses, not landfills.
Materials (The Stuff We Need)
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An assortment of clean glass, plastic, and paper recyclables, such as bottles,
jars, cardboard, soda cans, etc. Be sure to handle glass carefully.
Three bins or even just three separate areas for sorting recyclables
Procedure (What to Do)
1. Let children know that you will be sorting the items for recycling. It’s easier for
the recycling plant if the items are sorted by the material they are made from.
Remind kids that the important thing isn’t the shape of the item or even what it’s
called. What matters for recycling is the material.
2. Work with children to sort items by material. Put plastic bottles and jars together,
glass bottles and jars together, and all kinds of paper and cardboard together.
3. Allow children try on their own first, remembering that they might need help. It’s
not always easy to tell plastic and glass apart. Also, use the names for the
materials to help children learn them. Research shows that kids can have some
difficulty sorting and labeling items by their material so this activity helps them
practice an emerging skill.
Other Stuff You Might Want to Know or Do
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Teacher Susie describes recycling as taking things that people often throw away
and sending them to a special factory where they can be turned into new things
made out of the same material.
Sometimes recyclables are turned into very different sorts of objects, made out of
the same material. For example, old plastic items can be recycled and turned
into playground equipment, purses, carpeting, or even fleece for jackets.
You can include metal items, too, but be sure not to use cans with sharp edges
that can cut hands and fingers. Also, be sure that children are able to sort three
kinds of items before introducing a fourth. A challenge is fine, but we don’t want
to make it too difficult.
Brainstorm ways to re-use items in your home or classroom. Suzy turned soup
cans into crayon holders. Sid turned his broken robot toy into a penholder. What
can you and your children come up with?
Reducing, re-using, and recycling keeps items out of landfills. It also helps
conserve the earth’s limited resources. When you use a product made from
recycled paper, you’re using paper that didn’t come from a new tree.