Staying Green During the Holidays + A Freebie

Have you noticed how much waste we accumulate during the month of December?

Our school is eco-friendly and it is such a wonderful value to teach our kids from preschool on up. My kids even compost in the lunchroom- it's pretty cool :)

I thought this quick lesson would be a nice refresher about how they can continue their "green" habits into the holidays, both at home and in the classroom.

First off, there is a super-cute video from the Magic School Bus all about recycling that is set during the holiday season. I think Dolly Parton is even the voice of Miss Frizz's cousin! Here's a nice copy online with no commercials:


I think I will definitely be showing this ASAP because, as it always goes this time of year, I lost my voice this afternoon.... sigh :( Miss Frizz to the rescue!

I made a short and sweet worksheet to go along with this, too:

Fonts and Borders by Jen Jones, Scrappin' Cop, and Kevin & Amanda; Clip Art by Scrappin'  Doodles #58112

I will plan on making a class chart of things we can reduce, reuse, and recycle this time of year using the kids' ideas and some of these resources to help:

• EcoCycle Holiday Guide
• Ecology Center Holiday Tips
• Eco-Friendly Holiday Tips from KidzWorld

Note: Some of the sites above also have some interesting facts about holiday energy/resource consumption this time of year, although I am always cautious about sharing a lot of those stats because I don't want my thirdsters to feel guilty about having their decorations up or lights hanging outside- we instead focus on how we can be kind to our planet by starting new traditions :)

After we brainstorm some ways as a group, I plan on having them fill in their own ideas and color this sheet to take home and share.

If you are interested in this worksheet, I have it on Google Docs HERE. Enjoy!

Do you have eco-friendly systems in your classroom or school? Have any good holiday tips?? Leave a comment below, I'd love to try out some new ideas this season :)