Garbage Sorting

In honor of Earth Day, I figured it was time to really show the superheroes (and the Tiny Tots in my classes) how to separate and sort our garbage so that we can reuse as much of our waste as possible.  Here is an EASY activity to get together in 5 minutes!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• garbage of all sorts: I used: banana/orange peels, wrappers, napkins, paper, water bottles, glass bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, etc…

• 3 bins with labels: recycling, compost, garbage (I printed images from the internet since most of the Tiny Tots can’t read yet

Garbage

Food waste/Compost

Recycling

I gave the bin of mixed garbage to the Tiny Tots and they had to sort the garbage out.  As they sorted, I discussed why they made the choices they did and corrected them if they were off track.

Some of the parents in my Tiny Tot classes learned a thing or two about recycling (Did you know that most bottle caps are NOT recyclable even though the water bottles are?)

The recycling bin was the fullest!

Next was the compost/food waste bin

The smallest was the garbage bin, headed for the landfill.

That’s IT!  So easy!  Just grab your own garbage and sort away!

 Explanation:

Young kids love to sort!  This is a great way to practice sorting skills and also learn how to recycle and reuse our waste.  If you’re lucky, this might encourage them to clean up after themselves… one can only hope!