Day 1:

Question of the Day: What do you do with clothes that don’t fit you anymore?

Discussion: Reusing- Remind your child that in Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats, Peter’s parents didn’t throw away his old things-- instead, they gave them to his little sister. Show an article of clothing that you don’t wear any more. Say, “I was going to throw this away because it doesn’t fit me anymore.” Ask, “what could I do with it instead?” Review the question of the day. Say, “I know I can give someone else my old clothes. And I know from Peter’s Chair that I can give away furniture that I don’t need. I wonder what other things I can give someone instead of throwing them away. What other things can be reused by someone else?” Record your child’s responses, which might include bikes, toys, games, shoes or computers. Explain, “just because something isn’t useful to us anymore doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful to someone else. When we give something to someone else to use instead of throwing away, we create less trash!”

Day 2:

Question of the Day: What can you do with toys that you don’t use anymore?

Discussion: Read Something from Nothing. Say, this book is about a grandfather who makes things from used clothing. After you read, ask, “How did the grandfather reuse the clothing? How many different ways did he reuse it?”

Day 3:

Question of the Day: Will this present fit in this box? Display a present made from the junk collection and a small box.

Discussion: Using less paper: Model the act of wasting paper. Write a few words on a piece of paper. Say, “Oops! I made a mistake.” Then crumple the paper and throw it into a small trash can. Repeat these steps several times. Pay attention to how your child responds to your act. If they stop you, stop and discuss the paper you wasted. If your child doesn’t stop you, continue your performance until the trash can begins to get full. At that point, stop and notice aloud how wasteful you’ve been! Say, for example, “Oh no! I used so many sheets of paper! I’ve almost filled up this whole trash can. I really wasted a lot of paper. I’ve made a lot of trash, and now there isn’t as much paper for us to use for drawing and writing later.” Ask, “what could I have done instead of using so many sheets of paper?” Explain, “one way to reduce, or create less trash, is to find ways to reuse things that we might throw away, like items from the junk collection that we’re making into presents. Another way to create less trash is to use less. When we use less, we create less trash. That means we don’t put as much stuff into the trash can or the recycling bin.”

Day 4:

Question of the Day: Do you like to eat this? Display a familiar piece of food packaging with environmental print.

Discussion: Using less at home: Ask, “How can we create less trash at home? Can we use less of something? Prompt your child’s thinking, if necessary, by offering examples: “use only one paper towel instead of two or three. Use less paper when we are drawing and put caps back on markers so they don’t dry out and have to be thrown away.” Record your child’s ideas.

Day 5:

Question of the Day: Do you like to eat this? Display a familiar piece of food packaging with environmental print.

Discussion: So much trash: Examine a bag of groceries and show your child the various items in the bag. Talk about the packaging used to keep the food fresh. Talk about how much trash is generated from just one bag of groceries. Help your child sort out the packaging items that can be recycled. Ask, “should this packaging go to the dump or a recycling center?” Point out how much less trash exists after the recyclables have been set aside. Ask, “what about the fresh fruit (or fresh vegetables)? What could we do with the parts that we don’t want to eat?” Generate some ideas! Explain, “food garbage decomposes, or breaks apart into tiny pieces and changes in other ways. Some people don’t throw their fruit and vegetable scraps into the trash. Instead, they put them in a special container in their kitchen called a “composting bin.” They can bring this to a farmers market or it can be picked up with the garbage. Farmers stir it and add yard waste, such as leaves and grass clippings. When the mixture decomposes, it becomes soil!”

Day 1:

Question of the Day: What can we do with this? (Show empty paper towel roll)

Discussion: Amazing Junk: Fill a paper bag with interesting items from the junk collection to create a mystery bag. Have your child select one item from the mystery bag. Ask, wow! What can we do with this amazing junk?” Invite your child to think of different things they could make!

Day 2:

Question of the Day: Can we use this to make music? (Display a piece of paper)

Discussion: Say, “We made music just by using a piece of paper. Let’s see what other things we can use to make instruments!” Provide a variety of materials that allow your child to experiment with making instruments. These materials could include wooden blocks, or various containers for drumming, or objects your child can tap on the floor. Invite your child to brainstorm different ways to make instruments from the junk collection.

Day 3:

Question of the Day: What can we make from this (Show any item from the junk collection).

Discussion: Read The Paper Bag Princess or watch it on Epic. Explain, “sometimes we use music to help retell stories. Today, we are going to retell The Paper Bag Princess. We’ll use the instruments we made yesterday to help us tell the story. What else do we need to help us tell the story? Look back through the pages of the book for ideas. Invite your child to think of some costumes and props that would help them tell the story. Record their ideas. Work together to act out the story!

Day 4:

Question of the Day: Can we make something from this paper bag? If you don’t have a paper bag, ask “What can we make from this?” and show any item from your junk collection.

Discussion: Gift Making: Talk about the interesting things that you can make with found objects. Invite your child to think about something that they would like to make for someone else using items from the junk collection. If your child needs help, show the collection of items. As they explore each item, ask, “What could we make with this?” Offer suggestions as needed.

Day 1:

Question of the Day: Should you throw paper out the window of a car or building?

Discussion: Discuss the questions of the day. Ask, should you throw paper out the window of a car or building? Where should we put our garbage when we are outside? Why do you think it’s important to put our trash in trash cans, and not leave it on the ground?

Day 2:

Question of the Day: What is litter?

Discussion: Litter and Animals: Ask, what do you think might happen to animals if there were a lot of litter on the ground? Have children think about the animals in their immediate community. Discuss how litter can harm animals. Explain that animals might eat litter and choke; that litter can get into their homes; and that animals can become trapped in litter, which could hurt their bodies.

Day 3:

Question of the Day: Which will we find more of on our litter walk: paper or bottles?

Discussion: If possible, take a litter walk around your neighborhood. Tell your child that you will be going on a litter walk! Discuss how you can pick up trash safely, and remind them that it is important to wear gloves when touching trash. Talk about any trash that they shouldn’t touch at all, such as broken glass. Ask, what kinds of trash do you think we’ll find on our walk today? You can also set up a litter walk in your apartment by placing clean discarded items around like a scavenger hunt, OR work together to make a sign that reminds your community not to litter!

Day 1:

Question of the Day: Where does our trash go after we throw it away?

Discussion: Say, “I wonder what happens to the trash after we put it in the trash can. Where do you think it goes? How can we find out?” Invite your child to draw a picture about where they think the trash goes and what people do with trash once it’s thrown away. Use a computer or device to research this question with your child if they are curious.

Day 2:

Question of the Day: How do garbage trucks work? What happens to our garbage once it’s on the garbage truck?

Discussion: Check out these videos! Discuss the new things you learned about garbage trucks/garbage and what you found interesting!

HOW GARBAGE TRUCKS WORK FOR KIDS

Garbage Trucks: On Route, In Action!

Where Does Our Garbage Go

Day 3:

Question of the Day: Who takes care of our trash?

Discussion: Pretend you are getting ready to interview a garbage collector! What questions would you have for them? Think about what more you would like to learn about this job and/or what happens to our garbage! Help your child create a list of questions they have.

Watch the following video and then write a letter to a garbage collector! What would you like to say to them, ask them, or thank them for?

I Was a Garbage Collector for a Day. AND LIKED IT.

Day 4:

Question of the Day: What happens to our recyclables?

Discussion: Check out these videos! Discuss the new things you learned about recycling and what you found interesting!

Take a Field Trip to the Recycling Center | KidVision Pre-K

Sesame Street: Murray Visits a Recycling Center

Day 1:

Question of the Day: What did you throw away today?

Discussion: Trash and Garbage at Home. Show your child a bag of trash. Explain, “this is a bag of trash from our home. I wonder what will be in it.” Invite your child to predict what will be in the bag. Record their predictions. Put on a pair of gloves. Explain that it is important to wear gloves when exploring trash because of the germs in it. Examine the bag of trash and talk about what you are throwing out. Make a list of items in the bag. Label the chart, “what’s in our trash?”

Day 2:

Question of the Day: Does all trash stink?

Discussion: Interview a family member. Have your child interview a family member in your home or on Zoom/Facetime/Google Meet. Find out what they usually throw out at home. Make a list, and add illustrations!

Day 3:

Question of the Day: Where are the trash cans in our home?

Discussion: Why do we need trash cans in different rooms? Why do we need trash cans outside? Discuss what you might throw out in different parts of your home or while you are on a walk.

Day 1

Question of the Day: Does this feel rough or smooth?

Discussion: What is this junk? Show a few clean, recycled materials. Invite your child to select something that interests them. Ask, “Can you describe your object? How does your object look and feel?” Record their observations and expand on what they say by adding some rich vocabulary. For example, say “You said the tube you picked is scratchy. It does feel rough on my fingers when I touch it!” Talk about the question of the day.

Day 2

Question of the Day: Have you thrown anything away today?

Discussion: Found trash: Show an empty plastic bottle or cardboard box. Ask, “What should I do with this bottle? How could I reuse it-- use it again? Now show several empty plastic bottles or cardboard boxes. Say, “We have lots of these! How might we reduce the number of bottles/boxes we use? How might we use fewer bottles/boxes?”

Day 3

Question of the Day: (Show a clean, recycled material) What could we do with this junk?

Discussion: How can we organize these boxes? Take a look at your recycling. Work together to find ways to organize the items inside. Can you organize the boxes by size? By color? Can you organize the whole recycling bin into glass, plastic, tin, and cardboard?

Day 4

Question of the Day: (Show a toilet paper roll or paper towel roll.) What could we do with this junk?

Discussion: What do we know about reducing, reusing, and recycling? Work together to make a list of things you and your child already know about reducing, reusing and recycling?

Day 5

Question of the Day: Which game would you rather play: Simon Says or Jack in the Box?

Discussion: What do we want to know about reducing, reusing, and recycling? Say, “We already know a lot of things about reducing, reusing, and recycling. Now let’s think about what we want to find out about them!” Model the questioning process for children. For example, show the recycling bin and wonder aloud about what you should put in it: “hmmm, what should I put in this recycling bin?” Add this question to the list! Help children formulate questions and expand their language.