If you're not up for a trip to the landfill to show students why it's important to be environmentally mindful, take your class for a similar (and slightly less stinky) tour of a local recycling center. Students can see firsthand how items are separated and sent off on different conveyor belts. They learn how plastics will be turned into park benches and new decks and how paper will be shredded, mashed, and processed into new paper.

Alternatively, take your class on a photo tour or video tour showing where trash goes after it leaves the house. You might also visit Recycle City, a fun, interactive website to help your students learn more about recycling and protecting our environment.