Recycling 2.0

I never win classroom competitions.

Sadly~ ever.

I once tried to save box tops for a year+ and asked (nay begged, badgered, demanded) all of my family member, friends, and even not-so-friends to save them with me.

That was the year that we didn’t have a competition… first in the history of the school. What?!

No pizza party for my students.

No ice cream afternoon with sprinkles and a movie!

*sad face*

But that’s all about to change; we have a recycling trophy! Can you believe that my school hasn’t recycled… ever. “Hello 21^st century, we are the slow pokes that throw away paper- in the garbage!” We may as well forego other recent inventions electricity and plumbing, too!

Yikes…

Back to me winning. I have a bit of a competitive streak. I actually won’t play cards at the in-law’s holiday parties. WON’T.

So when it comes to something I have a shot at—like a recycling trophy—I’m all in!

I have devised a plan. First watch the recycling bin like a beefy bouncer at the hottest nightclub in the biggest coolest city. That was okay for about .5 seconds until I realized I teach 6 year-olds. They can’t go for more than .6 seconds without me which is both charming and totally-um…. you know… not-so-charming.

So I devised a NEW PLAN! This is actually working!

One very hot, humid, almost 100 degree mid-August day, I very delicately crafted a designer-quality cover for my recycling bin. Okay, I made 2 cardboard flaps. The flaps are for the custodial staff; when you flip the can, the flaps stay attached and the stuff comes out. You know, like flaps do.

But when the flaps are closed, they make a small rectangular slit that only allows paper-like substances to go through! I was inspired by the public-friendly version at the airport. You know the kind- round for cans, rectangle for paper.

To top it off (literally), I added pictures of things that are allowed and not allowed.

So far, not a single used tissue, not one string cheese wrapper, not even a snack baggie has gone into our recycle bin!!!

Recycling award~ HERE I COME!

However, the competition is both rigged (each class gets the darn award for a week), and canceled (because apparently we know how to recycle well enough now).

Oh well… happy very early Earth Day!

At least the environment wins!

Happy Recycling!

CaseyJane

One-Step Card Sorting Tip

Hi there! I'm CaseyJane from Wiggling Scholars. 

When I was little, we used to "play" 52 Card Pick Up…

While we don’t play that game in my classroom, sometimes I think my students are inadvertently trying to bring out the same organizations skills in me that were once developed by the “game.”

Seeing as I prefer to spend my time crafting beautiful lessons (and not sorting through 12 decks of cards), I’ve come up with an organizational tip that takes moments to prepare, and saves you lifetimes of stress and annoyance from sorting cards…

 

This shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to do 12 decks of cards, and you can get a parent volunteer to do it. Just run the marker along the edge of the cards on both ends of the deck. Just like sanding wood, go with the ‘grain’ of the card. Run along the edges not across the deck.

I chose Scentos for this project. I tried other marker brands and the marker leaked onto the faces of the cards. You can also do different color combos.

Check out how easy it is to find the mismatched card!