19: The 3Rs

 

Reuse the past,

Recycle the present,

Save the future.

What are the 3Rs?

Recycle

Recycling is like using magic for our trash. Instead of tossing things into the bin, we can turn them into something new and exciting. A soda can could become a bicycle, and a cardboard box might just transform into a piece of furniture.

The kindergarteners revisited the trash that we collected and thought about different ways that we can recycle them. Since we had a lot of paper waste, we decided to give our used paper new life. Last week, we began our experiment on making new paper with old ones, and this week, we finally saw the results. The children used a sieve to get the pulp from the paper mush that we made.

They placed the paper on top of a plastic bag and waited for the pulp to dry.

Tadah! We made new paper!

The children loved the texture and the appearance of the paper they made.

I wonder what cool things we can use them for? 😎

In music class with Ms. Azusa, the children recycled their old tissue boxes and turned them into an instrument that they can play. Here's their work in progress.

Can you guess what instrument they are making? 

(clue: we use it everyday in class 😀)

Reduce

Reducing is a form of cutting back on the amount of waste that we make for the sake of the whole planet. It's thinking, "Do I really need all of these toys, or will one or two be enough?" Less things equals less waste, and less waste means a happier earth.

The kindergarteners were given a challenge to reduce how much materials we use whenever we create art. Following our two-toilet-paper-roll challenge last week, I invited the children to make a collaborative art piece using limited materials from the ones that we already have in the classroom, including the scrap that we collected. 

I began by reading a book called My Very First Book of Shapes by Eric Carle for a quick review of the different shapes that we know and love.

Using an old cardboard and a few stencils, the children drew different shapes together.

Then they colored the shapes using oil pastels.

Voila! It's still a work in progress but who would have thought that two simple materials can make such vibrant art that can liven up the classroom?

We extended our collaborative art project by making big star shaped artwork with Kindergarten 1 based on the book of Eric Carle called Draw Me a Star. We collected materials that we already used in past projects and kept them in storage to lessen the trash that we make.

Reducing our trash and reusing our materials is pretty fun, especially if we create wonderful pieces with them. 

Reuse

Reusing is all about giving things another shot at being useful rather than throwing them to waste. Imagine wearing your big brother's shirt that he has outgrown or the jar from yesterday's spaghetti sauce becoming your new plant's cozy home -- the materials don't go to waste, they are repurposed for something else.

To learn more about reusing, we started an activity called The Hospital of Broken Things. The children brought something from home that is broken to share them with the class. Our Show and Tell session was a bit different from the usual as the children were asked to guess what their friends brought to school based on the shadows they see.

It was interesting to hear the inferences of the children based on the shadows they saw. 

To treat patients in our hospital, the children had to first become full-fledged doctors. They got their doctor's badge by sharing what they know about caring for patients.

The doctors are in!

We then identified all the ailments of the patients before we admitted them to our hospital.

Patient 1: Amaru's Dinosaur Shirt

Ailment: The cloth of the dinosaur is not sewn on the shirt.

Patient 2: Veronica's Stethoscope Toy

Ailment: The part used for the ears is broken

Patient 3: Tamaki's Pretzel Magnet

Ailment: The magnet part got broken and is missing.

Patient 4: Tamaki's Squishy Bear

Ailment: There is a hole at the bottom of the bear where the beads can come out.

Patient 5: Kai's Winnie the Pooh Blow-up Toy

Ailment: There is a hole at the bottom, which makes the air come out.

Patient 6: Emma's Black Pants

Ailment: There is a hole at the bottom where the legs meet.

Patient 7: Suzu's Letter R Keychain

Ailment: The chains of the keychain are broken.

Patient 8: Daniel's Nabnab Stuffed Toy

Ailment: One of the legs got ripped and the stuffing came out.

Patient 9: Suzu's Jack o' Lantern Lamp

Ailment: The lights are not turning on and the handle is missing.

Patient 10: Louis' Dump Truck

Ailment: The sides are worn out and sharp.

After identifying the ailments of each broken item, the children shared what treatments we could possibly give them. They came up with the following "medicine" for our patients:

-different kinds of tape

-glue / glue gun

-stapler

-needle / thread

The children then wrote their prescriptions to identify how we can mend our broken things. Next week, we will slowly put them back together so that we can use them again.

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Remember that our every step – whether it's reusing a jar, reducing our daily waste, or recycling with a smile – sends ripples of positive change through our beautiful planet. By reusing, reducing, and recycling, we're gifting ourselves and the future generation with a greener world.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam

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Whole School Upcoming Events

January 2024

• 26

  End of Term 1 report cards go to parents 
• 29 - 02

  3-Way Conferences 

February 2024

• 07 - 09

  Winter Trip G 3 - 6 
• 19 - 23

  STEM week 
• 23

  Open Day 

  9:30-12:00
• 29

  Assembly (K2) 

  9:00