Landfills
First graders have just begun learning about landfills, and some important alternatives to landfills! We began by reading a nonfiction book called Where Does All The Garbage Go?. In the book we learned all about landfills and how they are very limited on space. Nearly 1/2 of all trash could avoid the landfill by being disposed of either in the recycling or compost!
Recycling
After watching a virtual field trip video, first graders discussed which materials can be recycled. We noted that clean, dry plastic, paper and metal can be recycled. We identified the recycling symbol and students discussed the meaning behind the arrows in the triangle shape as a cycle – hence the word recycle. Students each picked a piece of recycling from our Creation Station materials (where Ms. Ursino brings her recycling to be used for crafts during inside recess and Friday Free Choice) and searched for the recycling symbol on their item. Then, we sorted them by material type.
Compost
Next, first graders learned about another option for keeping trash out of the landfill – compost! Did you know that food waste is the largest category of trash in landfills? About 25% of landfill space is taken up by food waste!
Students learned how compost works by reading a few different books about composting. They learned about all of the different components needed for compost to turn food back into dirt. One of those components are decomposers, or insects and animals that help break down organic materials. We watched a very cool time lapse video of worms breaking down different materials over the course of 100 days. After learning about compost, students worked in teams to sort materials into their appropriate bins – trash, recycling and compost.
