There are thousands of recycling centers throughout the country that welcome visitors. You can locate your local recycling center by contacting your garbage company. Recycling centers are busiest in April because Earth Day is on April 22.
Some recycling centers are more student-friendly than others, and have games to go along with the field trip. If your tour does not include games, you can incorporate some of your own games. National Geographic Kids (kids.nationalgeographic.com), Kaboose (kaboose.com) and state-level pollution prevention agencies have created interactive websites with online and offline games, projects and activities to aid parents and teachers in helping kids learn about recycling.
Students can bring in used plastic milk cartons, glass jars, computer disks, newspapers and several other items to make crafts. Birdhouses, soap dispensers, home décor and pirate hats are just a few of thousands of craft ideas that may be made from recycled everyday materials.
A long-term project will give students firsthand experience in recycling. Hand out paper bins and have students collect scrap paper to be recycled weekly, or conduct a clothing drive to collect clothes for a charity. At the end of the project, students will see the large quantity of material that is being recycled and kept out of a landfill.