Environmental Display Ideas

[Guest]

Hi,

I need to put up a display board on environmental issues and was looking for any inspirational ideas. I have a class of 30 nursery children and was thinking along the lines of reducing carbon footprints and maybe getting the children to do footprints for me. Another thought was to do a recycling display. Does anyone have any suggestions of what they have done in the past.

Thanks

Lorraine

[AnonyMouse_64]

We have a recycling display up at the moment. The children helped us to create four collages each using different materials. We did paper/cardboard, metallic/foil, material and plastic items.

[AnonyMouse_2157]

Why not go the whole hog and make it informative, interactive and useful e.g recyclable all at the same time by having a permanent recycling centre in your classroom? We have one in the entrance to our nursery and both parents and children are able to drop off stuff that would otherwise end up in the bin... especially things that we can use for D&T and creative projects.

We hung baskets onto the wall using cup hooks and when we need something particular we put a few items in the basket to get the ball rolling e.g. we are currently collecting small clear plastic bottles you know the type used in the letters and sounds DVD for phase 1. We would like to make the shakers so the request has gone out for these.

 

I was just about to throw my juice carton out not recylable in our area as yet, when I remembered a great idea to re-use them that a friend of mine told me. Wash the carton out and then cut it open so it is flat. Trim of the edges so that you have a neat rectangle. Fold in half like a book and use a hole punch to put a few holes in it. Using scrap paper, or that rescued from your blue paper recyle box , and treasury tags, make a little note pad. Using the paper in this way the little booklet can last for ages and children have something to doodle in created by themselves... good project for an Inspire with the parents too.

 

RECYCLE... THAT'S WHAT I LIKEL

[Guest]

One idea I saw that looked great was a flower and plant display made from plastic bottles, the ones with the fluted bottoms that when cut can be painted and mounted like a flower - perhpas you could then add in things to look at the dangers of leaving rubbish around - smally fluffy animals crawling into cans and cartons plastic bags and getting stuck. Petals of flowers can also be made from plastic bags all crunched up - maybe you could see how many plastic bags your class get through in a week and display them as flowers on the board and count them - so ask parents and children to get involved and to let you have all the plastic bags they have received in one week. You could then perhaps run a sweepstake on how many they think they will all collect with the money going to a new plant or some eco-friendly in the outdoor play area.

However, I also think awareness is good too - I read an article that said paper bags were just as damaging as plastic ones? So we cannot win unless we all buy ones that we use time and time again. The argument being is that at least we can use the plastic bags again whereas we dont with the paper bags.

Intersting statistical facts from the web about recycling can be easily found and are really niteresting. What about the fact that most of our recycling is shipped by sea container to China where they set up small shanty recycling towns to sort through the rubbish - hardly ethical. They are often closed down and the problem is moved on to another area so why should our recycling create problems on the other side of the world or does this provide money for those who cannot earn it by other means - now there is an ethical dilemma. Must be lots on the internet on this.

Good luck with it all - sounds really interesting.

Nikki

[Guest]

One idea I saw that looked great was a flower and plant display made from plastic bottles, the ones with the fluted bottoms that when cut can be painted and mounted like a flower - perhpas you could then add in things to look at the dangers of leaving rubbish around - smally fluffy animals crawling into cans and cartons plastic bags and getting stuck. Petals of flowers can also be made from plastic bags all crunched up - maybe you could see how many plastic bags your class get through in a week and display them as flowers on the board and count them - so ask parents and children to get involved and to let you have all the plastic bags they have received in one week. You could then perhaps run a sweepstake on how many they think they will all collect with the money going to a new plant or some eco-friendly in the outdoor play area.

However, I also think awareness is good too - I read an article that said paper bags were just as damaging as plastic ones? So we cannot win unless we all buy ones that we use time and time again. The argument being is that at least we can use the plastic bags again whereas we dont with the paper bags.

Intersting statistical facts from the web about recycling can be easily found and are really niteresting. What about the fact that most of our recycling is shipped by sea container to China where they set up small shanty recycling towns to sort through the rubbish - hardly ethical. They are often closed down and the problem is moved on to another area so why should our recycling create problems on the other side of the world or does this provide money for those who cannot earn it by other means - now there is an ethical dilemma. Must be lots on the internet on this.

Good luck with it all - sounds really interesting.

Nikki

Hi Nikki,

It is very interesting and shocking to read what you say about our recycling being shipped over to China. I looked more into it and it makes me realise that we need to reduce the materials we are buying and are we doing any good when we recycle - I thought we were, but maybe not.

Thanks for the idea, I like the idea of using the bottom of plastic bottles for flowers.

Lorraine

[Guest]

Why not go the whole hog and make it informative, interactive and useful e.g recyclable all at the same time by having a permanent recycling centre in your classroom? We have one in the entrance to our nursery and both parents and children are able to drop off stuff that would otherwise end up in the bin... especially things that we can use for D&T and creative projects.

We hung baskets onto the wall using cup hooks and when we need something particular we put a few items in the basket to get the ball rolling e.g. we are currently collecting small clear plastic bottles you know the type used in the letters and sounds DVD for phase 1. We would like to make the shakers so the request has gone out for these.

 

I was just about to throw my juice carton out not recylable in our area as yet, when I remembered a great idea to re-use them that a friend of mine told me. Wash the carton out and then cut it open so it is flat. Trim of the edges so that you have a neat rectangle. Fold in half like a book and use a hole punch to put a few holes in it. Using scrap paper, or that rescued from your blue paper recyle box , and treasury tags, make a little note pad. Using the paper in this way the little booklet can last for ages and children have something to doodle in created by themselves... good project for an Inspire with the parents too.

 

RECYCLE... THAT'S WHAT I LIKEL

Hi Apple,

I love this idea and have just got some crates to put outside for parents to put items in which we can use for D&T. However, the display is not in the classroom, it's in the hall. I am planning to spend the week talking about the importance of recycling with the class before we start the display.

Love the idea about collecting little plastic bottles like the ones in the letters and sounds DVD. Think I'll be asking parents for these on Monday. What have they had in them before?

Regards

Lorraine

[Guest]

We have a recycling display up at the moment. The children helped us to create four collages each using different materials. We did paper/cardboard, metallic/foil, material and plastic items.

Hi Beau,

I don't suppose you could send a picture of the display to give me a better idea.

Kind regards

Lorraine

[Guest]

Hi Nikki,

It is very interesting and shocking to read what you say about our recycling being shipped over to China. I looked more into it and it makes me realise that we need to reduce the materials we are buying and are we doing any good when we recycle - I thought we were, but maybe not.

Thanks for the idea, I like the idea of using the bottom of plastic bottles for flowers.

Lorraine

Yes quite frightening really - so when your local council says they are meeting their targets for recycling - jsut how are they dealing with it - they might take it in but who pays for it to go to China and why can we not sort it out here rather than clog up other countries with our rubbish. Glass is another issue but lets not go there..... not that I am an eco warrior, far from it but I think we are all misled by those who have targets to meet.