We Love
Our Things

CONNECT

Objective: to comprehend the large amount of materials we take from Earth; to consider what happens when we are done using our things

Vocabulary: impact

Reading: Little Blue Chair

Math Activity: Recycle Compost Reuse Landfill

Earth Friends Lesson

Module 5: Lesson 4

Begin Lesson

move & discover: 7 minutes

Materials Make Things

Passing around the materials will be repeated at the beginning of each lesson; however, each week the children will be asked to identify or categorize the materials in a different way.

Materials Needed: a sample* of the following 10 materials

Wood (compost)
Plastic (landfill / recycle)
Rubber (landfill)
Metal (recycle)
Fabric (landfill / compost / recycle)
Glass (recycle)
Paper (landfill / recycle)
Ceramic (landfill)
Cardboard (recycle)
Leather (landfill)

Have the children sit in a circle and then pass around the material samples one at a time. Where can this material go when we are doing using the thing it’s made from? What can we do with it when we are done?

*Samples of materials should be: nondescript (plastic cannot be a straw, metal cannot be a can), about the size of a smart phone, safe with no rough or sharp edges. You can find a good amount at a home renovation store or flooring store.

Curious Question

Where do our things go when we are done with them?

Allow the children to give any answers, whether correct or not.

Main Lesson

Humans use natural resources from nature to make our things. Humans also make waste when we are done with our things. The natural resource we take and the waste we make is called our impact.

sit & learn: 5 minutes

Recycle Compost Reuse Landfill

This activity helps the children understand that there is no “away” when we throw something away in the trash or garbage.

Materials Needed: 3 bins; a variety of objects to recycle compost, reuse, or throw away.

Preparation: Put out 3 bins for the children to separate a variety of objects found in the classroom.

Give an object to each child and take turns choosing where their object goes when they don't want it anymore or are done with it*. Explain what the bins are, and then ask: Where will your thing go?

Let's recycle it (anything that can be made into something else)

Let's compost it (anything that can biodegrade back into the soil)

Let's reuse it (anything that can be used again or given to someone else)

Let's throw it away (anything that must go to a landfill)

Example objects: crayons (recycle); markers (landfill); art paper (landfill); cardboard tube (recycle); backpack (reuse); water bottle (recuse); plastic bottle (recycle); toys (reuse); newspaper (compost); apple (compost) ...

*This is similar to the Compost Recycling Landfill Reuse activity in Module 3: Our Food, but now we are doing this with material waste.

Closing Sentiment

When humans are finished using their things, we can pay attention to where our waste goes. We can recycle to make new things. We can reuse to share the things we took care of and respected. We can compost what our soil friends can eat. We can have a positive or good impact on Earth.

move & learn: 8 minutes

End Lesson

Teachers in the Classroom

Teacher Activity

The History of Our Toys

Materials Needed: toys in the classroom

Preparation: Select 3 different toys.

Toy #1 is the oldest toy in the classroom.

Toy #2 is the most played with toy in the classroom.

Toy #3 is the newest toy in the classroom.

Talk about the state and use of each toy. What does this toy look like? Is it old? Does work? Who plays with it? Is it in perfect condition? How do we take care of it?

Begin to compare toys.

As examples: What is different about the new toy and the most played with toy? What is the same about the most played with toy and old toy?

Throughout the Week

Discuss: The Respect Rules. Who is following them? What helps us respect our things?

Explore: the materials we make things out of by using the images in We Love Our Things. Use the material samples to match with the images in the book. What is a plane made out of? What is a book made out of? What natural resource do we need to make plates?

Reading: Little Blue Chair

Vocabulary: material, natural resource, respect, impact

Good Choices

I can take only what I need and use only what I need.

I can take care of the things I own.

I can ask where something goes when I am done using it and don't want it anymore.

Vocabulary:

material: Humans make all different kinds of things, and our things are made out of different materials.

natural resource: The materials we use to make our things are found in nature, like trees and rocks, and we call these natural resources. Some come from underground, like fossil fuels, rocks, and minerals. Some come from plants, like trees and leaves. Some come from animals. We create all our materials from natural resources

respect: Humans make many things from natural resources. We don't want to use too much of what we find in nature (what Earth gives us) so we can learn to respect and care for our things. When we respect our things, we can make them last longer

Impact: Humans use natural resources from nature to make our things.
Humans also make waste when we are done with our things. The natural resource we take and the waste we make is called our impact

Families at Home

Discover: the history of your things. This week we learned about 3 different toys in the classroom-the oldest toy, the most played with toy, and the newest toy. At home, you can select 3 different things in your house too. What is the oldest, the favorite, and the newest? Show them to your child and talk about why each one is different and how each one is the same. Do you respect all 3 things in your house?

Discuss: The Toy Swap. Our Toy Swap Party is coming up, and that means it's time to pick out an old toy that your child no longer plays with that can be a new toy to another Earth Friend. This is not always an easy concept to grasp, so you can start off by making a pile of toys that are "maybes." Maybe I'm too old for this toy. Maybe someone else will love it more. Maybe I have too many toys like this toy. This will help your child ultimately narrow down to one toy they can bring in for the toy swap.

*Try not to pick a toy you no longer want. Give your child time to choose and understand that 2 things might happen. 1) Your child may choose a toy that you love. 2) Your child might not choose a toy you really want to let go of.

Module 5: Connect