National Recycling Week at Aspire
This week is National Recycling Week, which is one of Planet Ark’s flagship campaigns and every year aims to educate and empower people to do the right thing when they’re at the bin. The goal is to encourage individuals, schools, businesses, and communities to rethink their waste management practices and make recycling an everyday habit.
For early education providers, it’s a great opportunity to engage young children with activities that both teach and inspire sustainable behaviors. Through fun and engaging activities, children can begin to understand how their actions impact the planet and learn practical steps they can take to help.
During Recycling Week, many of our Aspire centres did just that, with the children engaging in a variety of activities, learning experiences and incursions. Discover more below!
At Aspire Bella Estate, the children gathered to satisfy their curiosity and learn about recycling through a fun painting activity. Using materials like cardboard, paper towel rolls, and bubble wrap, the children were encouraged to create stamp paintings with various coloured paints. This activity not only allowed them to explore their creativity but also helped them improve their colour recognition while learning about the importance of recycling.
At Aspire Cranbourne West, the toddlers enjoyed making bird feeders using recycled paper rolls, honey, and bird seeds. They gathered around the table, watching the educator demonstrate how to create the feeders. With some guidance, the children used paintbrushes to spread honey on the paper rolls, then rolled them in bird seeds. Once the feeders were ready, they hung them outside on the trees and invited the children to look out for birds coming to enjoy their treats. This hands-on activity not only sparked the children's curiosity but also helped them connect with nature while developing their fine motor skills.
At Aspire Clyde North, the nursery children also had fun learning about recycling with a creative stamping activity! Using recycled cardboard cylinders shaped like flowers, they dipped them into vibrant paint and pressed them onto paper, creating beautiful, colorful patterns. This hands-on activity not only introduced the children to the concept of recycling but also helped develop their fine motor skills as they explored different textures, colors, and designs.
In Term 4, many of our Aspire centres have also participated in the Recycleman Incursion, that teaches children in early education about the importance of recycling and environmental awareness. The children at Aspire Beveridge recently had a visit from the Recycle Man, where he engaged the children in an exciting and educational session about recycling. Here the children learnt about which objects, food and items to put in the yellow, red and green bins.
The experience was both informative and inspiring, helping our kids learn the importance of sustainable practices in a fun and interactive way.
Recycling in early education is an excellent way to teach young children about sustainability, environmental responsibility, and the importance of caring for the planet. At an early age, children are highly impressionable and introducing them to the concepts of recycling can help encourage lifelong habits that contribute to a healthier environment.
For young children, the concept of recycling should be simple and hands-on. That is why at Aspire, we implement activities that engage the children in a practical but engaging way. During these activities the educators then teach the children about recycling and how it helps our planet, it an age-appropriate way so that the children grasp these ideas. Using charts, pictures, and videos can help children understand what can be recycled, how it’s done, and why it's important.
Teaching recycling behaviours in children can also have a positive impact on their families and often influence household change. They can encourage their families to adopt better recycling habits, which then has an even bigger impact on the environment.
To learn more about Recycling Education at Aspire, enquire now at your nearest Aspire centre.
