Get in the Scrap this Earth Day!
Today is Earth Day, and it’s all about going green! During World War II, going green wasn’t just about saving the environment, but helping out on the Home Front. Recycling, called scrapping back then, and conserving materials, could mean the difference between defeat or victory over the Axis!
Here at The National WWII Museum, we think that every lesson in recycling and going green can also be a lesson in history! That’s why we started the Get in the Scrap! project for middle school classrooms. Inspired by the scrapping efforts of students during WWII, Get in the Scrap! is a national service learning project for students in grades 4-8 all about recycling and energy conservation. Your students have the power to affect positive change on the environment; much like students 70 years ago played a positive role on the Home Front in securing victory in WWII. It’s the perfect addition to your Earth Day celebrations!
We currently have 110 classrooms, 3,723 students from 34 states registered. Here are some of the awesome project updates teachers have sent us:
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- Journey Home School students creating their own cootie catchers to teach their friends about recycling.
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- Doesn't matter how young you are, you can pledge to make a difference!
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- Mooresville Middle School Students proudly display that they finished the project. They are the first official Get in the Scrap! School.
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- Gilchrist Elementary students know how to reuse a plastic water bottle-- make it a pretty flower vase!
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- A Chesapeake Academy student showing off his recycling brochure.
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- A student from John Ehret High School in New Orleans pledging to recycling soda cans
Want your students to join the fun? Sign up today at http://getinthescrap.org/toolkit/! The project officially closes for this school year on May 31st, so you have well over a month to complete activities and earn points and prizes. Here are some great Earth Day activities to get you started:
- Design and Install Switch Plates (8 points): Saving energy is as easy as flipping a switch! So why do so many of us leave the lights on when we’re not in a room? Let’s fix that problem by making eye catching light switch plates to remind us to turn the lights off when we aren’t using them.
- Scrap Catchers (8 points): Whether you call them cootie catchers or fortune tellers, this paper origami activity can teach your students about recycling and energy conservation through fun and games.
- Daily Recycling Facts (12 points): Take your Get in the Scrap! journey from Earth Day to the end of the school year! There’s no better way to get in the habit of getting in the scrap than learning a little about recycling and energy conservation each day. Spend 50 days in your classroom revealing a new recycling fact. We’ll provide the first 25 facts, but then it’s up to your students to research and find their own. Perfect as a bell ringer activity.
Post by Katie Atkins, Education Intern and Chrissy Gregg, Virtual Classroom Coordinator
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