Recycle Relay

• Have students collect recyclable materials such as bottles, newspapers and cans. Ask students to thoroughly clean and rinse the items before bringing them to school. Add some non-recyclable materials to the group of recyclable items, such as Styrofoam plates, Styrofoam cups, and paper with staples. Make sure these items are clean since this is just a demonstration. Divide students into three teams. Have each group for a line. Provide a trash can and a recycling bin for each team. When the whistle blows, students pass items down through the line. As the teams pass items, they must tell whether the piece is trash or recyclable. Instruct students that each time an object is passed, the method of passing must change, such as between the legs, over the head, or around the back. When the item reaches the front of the line, the person in front must put the item in the appropriate container. Whichever team puts the most items in the right container during the allowed time wins. Allow five or ten minutes for each round.
  
  

Tumbling Towers

• Have students collect empty, uncrushed aluminum soda cans for two weeks. Ask students to rinse the cans before bringing them to class. Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a bag of the cans. Instruct the teams to build a tower with aluminum cans. The team that builds the tallest tower that will stand on its own wins. To make the challenge greater, have team members alternate turns adding a single can at a time. When the game is over, the entire class can put all cans in the recycling receptacle.
  
  

Bowling with Recyclable Bottles

• Ask the class to collect empty soda bottles and bring them to school. Instruct students to rinse the bottles and allow them to dry. Add beans or rice to a depth of about one inch inside the bottles to make them stand better. Break the class into teams of four students to play bowling with the bottles. Each group needs ten weighted bottles and a playground ball. To integrate math, show students how to score in bowling.
  
  

Newspaper Relay Race

• Have students collect old newspapers and bring them to class. Divide the class into three or four teams. Provide each team with a stack of newspapers and a recycling container. Instruct the teams to divide the stack of papers among the members of the team. When the whistle blows, the first person in line runs with her newspapers, deposits them into the recycling bin, and runs to the end of the line. The next person then runs to the bin, and so on, until all the newspapers have been recycled.