WordGirl's Word of the Week: Recycle

Teach your child about protecting the environment with this week&s vocabulary word.

By Brian Kraker
Jun 25, 2013

Ages

6-13

WordGirl's Word of the Week: Recycle

Jun 25, 2013

Your child doesn’t have to be a superhero to help save the planet. There are plenty of everyday steps you can take to improve the environment and you can help your child learn about conservation with this week’s vocabulary word: recycle.

There is never a bad time to teach your child about the environment and the many ways we can help protect it. This week, take some extra time to talk to your child about recycling. Explain how paper, cans and bottles are reused to help protect the amount of natural resources we use. Use this opportunity to also explain other ways your child can get involved in protecting the planet.

Word of the Week: Recycle

Definition: Making sure that paper, cans and bottles go to the special plants that turn them into new things.

Activity 1: Start recycling at home. If your family doesn’t already recycle paper and plastics at home, now is a great time to start. Enlist the help of your child to start a family recycling program. Designate a bin for plastic bottles and cans. Create a paper pile for old newspapers or scrap paper used for math homework. Assign your child the task of taking out the recycling each week and make sure to find a fun way to praise your child’s new recycling ways.

Activity 2: Read about recycling. If you want to make scientific learning fun, The Magic School Bus is always a great place to turn. To help teach your child about recycling, try The Magic School Bus Gets Recycled. It’s a fun and engaging read that follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they travel through a recycling center. If you’re looking for more environmental literature for your child, be sure to check out some of these titles.

Activity 3: Think big. Help your child get involved in community recycling programs. Research recycling programs near you that allow children to volunteer or organize a group of your own to spend a day picking up litter at a local park. Spending a day volunteering is a great way to instill values, along with helping your child learn new vocabulary.

Activity 4: A recycled art project. Before those cans and old newspapers make their way to the recycling bin, encourage your artsy child to repurpose them in a creative way. Start with a white piece of poster board and encourage your child to make a recycled collage with pictures from newspapers and magazines you’ve finished reading. Carefully cut cans or bottles and glue them onto the poster board to create a three-dimensional design.

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