{ Earth day kids activities } Trash

Part of our series of Earth Month activities for kids. Join us as we celebrate and learn about our earth all month long!

My son looks forward to Earth Month for a lot of reasons, but today’s activity tops the list.

Read: What Happens to Our Trash? by D.J. Ward + Paul Meisel. Part of the “Let’s read and find out science” series (always a big hit in our house!), this book explains in an engaging way how landfills are constructed, what happens to different kinds of trash, and how we can help keep things out of the landfill. Fun illustrations, lots of great information presented in a conversational way.

Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte. The grown-up version of “What happens to our trash?” — a fascinating detective story about what actually happens to the things we throw away.

Explore:

How can your family reduce the amount of trash you create?

Check out your city’s waste management website — they usually have a ton of information about what you can recycle. Ours has a list of 140 organizations you can donate specific items to.

Watch this video that takes you inside the workings of a single-stream recycling center in Philadelphia. Or this one, a day in the life of your garbage and recyclables.

Check out this blog for inspiration, by a family who has created a Zero Waste Home.

Grab a couple plastic grocery bags and go for a walk with your child. On your way, look out for trash! Collect it in your bags (use one bag as a “glove” if you like). If your neighborhood is particularly devoid of trash, find an area that could use some help.

This is a project that we continue all month — wherever we go, we have a bag with us to “clean up the earth”.