3Rs Mini-Mission

1. To begin, talk to the students about the 3Rs and your community. Here are some questions to get
   you started:
   • Where do materials go after you put them in the garbage can or the recycle bin?
   • What do you know about the 3Rs?
   • Why are they important?
   • What can we recycle? How?
   
2. Have the students research what happens to different materials in your local area using the Waste Investigation Handout.
   
3. Talk about the results of their research, for example:
   • What surprised you about how waste is managed in our community?
   • Which recycling initiatives are in place that you didn’t know of?
   • What happens if materials aren’t disposed of properly?
   • Which kinds of waste materials cause the most damage to the environment?

Take action through one of the following activities: increase recycling knowledge with a fun and active game; reuse recyclable materials in a festive way; raise awareness by teaching others

Recycling race

1. Gather a variety of recyclable and non-recyclable materials, such as paper, various plastics, cardboard, food wrappers and containers, Styrofoam, plastic bags, etc.
   
2. In an open space, pile the materials in front of a recycling bin and a trash bin.
   
3. In either a race against the clock or in two teams (two piles) have students line up. On go, students take turns running up to the pile and selecting one item, then place it in the correct receptacle.
   
4. Once the race is over, go through the receptacles with students to see if any items have been misplaced for proper recycling.

Seasonal card making workshop

1. Find a base for your cards such as cereal or snack boxes, or paper plates
   
2. On thicker cardboard trace and/or cut out holiday stencils like trees, wreaths, bells, ornaments, snowmen, etc.
   
3. Using colourful scrap paper, magazines, old holiday cards, have students create a collage by gluing the papers onto the stencil template, trimming off the excess
   
4. Glue the colourful shapes onto the base of the card and write a warm holiday message!
   
5. Alternatively, cut out a tree or ornament stencil in the base card like a window, make a mosaicon another piece of card then glue together

Awareness Campaign

1. Have students think about, or investigate, the most commonly thrown away items in classrooms
   
2. Provide students with poster board and GOOS paper
   
3. In groups or individually, have students create posters indicating what belongs or does not belong in the recycling bin
   
4. Hang the posters up in communal collection areas around the school, and visit classrooms to educate other students and hang then up above their bins.

Discuss how did their action made a difference. Have the students brainstorms ways they can continue making a difference in the future (helping their family and friends recycle, being mindful of reusing instead of always using something new, etc.).

Brainstorm ways to share the results of you action others (school announcements, school social media, presentation to other classes, etc.)

MULTI-MATERIAL STEWARDSHIP MANITOBA
Whether you live in Manitoba or elsewhere, the MMSM website has many useful resources.
• Recyclepedia A great tool to search for recyclable materials and learn more about what to do
with them:
• MMSM’s interactive tour “A Tale of Recycling” takes kids on an animated tour to see what
happens to a soup can when it’s put in the recycling bin:
• MMSM also has a number of lesson plans
• INVENTORY OF RECYCLING PROGRAMS IN CANADA (Government of Canada)