Learn with Recylables for Earth Day and Every Day

Earth Day is coming up next month, but any time is a good time to think about our impact on the planet and how we can recycle, upcycle and creatively reuse some of the things we might otherwise consider trash.

Teach Me Mommy has pulled together a great collection of learning activities using recycled materials, including cardboard, egg cartons, paper towel rolls, bottle lids and wipe containers.

You probably have the supplies to make some of these projects right now, or you can start collecting and you’ll soon have lots of materials to make your own fun learning activities out of stuff you might otherwise toss.

How do you like to reuse materials in the classroom or at home? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Teach Me Mommy.]

Looking for some books to pair with these crafts? Check these out.

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Celebrate Earth Day with Kids

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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