Little Earth Friends (Ages 2-4)
📖 STORY (Read to child – 2 minutes)
“When we throw things away, where do they go?
To the garbage!
But wait!
Some things don’t have to be garbage!
This paper? We can draw on the back!
This box? We can make it a toy!
This banana peel? Plants can eat it! (compost)
When we use things again, we make less garbage!
Let’s not waste!”
🎨 ACTIVITY 1: Second Uses Game
Time: 5 minutes
Type: Creative thinking
You Need:
- Empty containers (box, bottle, jar, paper)
What to Do:
- Hold up box: “This is empty. Should we throw it away?”
- “Or… can we make it a garage for toy cars?”
- Hold up paper with drawing on one side: “Can we draw on the back?”
- Hold up jar: “Can we use this to hold crayons?”
- “We found second uses! Less garbage!”
What They Learn:
- Reusing items
- Creativity
- Reduce waste concept
- Problem-solving
🗑️ ACTIVITY 2: Sort It Out
Time: 5 minutes
Type: Classification game
You Need:
- 2-3 bins
- Labels: “Garbage”, “Use Again”, “For Plants” (compost)
- Variety of safe items
What to Do:
- Hold up items one by one:
- Banana peel → “For plants!”
- Empty yogurt cup → “Use again!” (holds crayons)
- Broken toy → “Garbage” (sadly)
- Paper with one side blank → “Use again!”
- Child places in correct bin (help if needed!)
- “We’re sorting! Smart!”
What They Learn:
- Classification skills
- Reduce waste
- Decision-making
- Multiple categories
🎁 ACTIVITY 3: Treasure Box
Time: Ongoing
Type: Collection & creativity
You Need:
- Box or bin
- “Treasures” (boxes, jars, bottle caps, paper rolls, fabric scraps)
What to Do:
- Instead of throwing certain items away, save them!
- Put in treasure box
- When child wants to make something, open treasure box!
- “What can we make with these treasures?”
- Create! (robots, animals, buildings, whatever!)
What They Learn:
- Reusing materials
- Creativity and imagination
- Delayed gratification
- Reduce waste
📝 VOCABULARY WORDS
- Waste – Throwing away, not using
- Garbage – Trash, things we throw away
- Use again – Finding new ways to use something
- Save – Keeping, not throwing away
- Recycle – Making old things into new things (simple!)
👨👩👧 TIPS FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS
Age Adjustments:
- Age 2: Focus on sorting (2 bins max!), adult does most thinking
- Age 3: Can think of some second uses, enjoys sorting
- Age 4: Creative with second uses, understands concept better
Safety Notes:
- Clean all containers before child uses!
- No sharp edges (check boxes, cans)
- Supervise “treasure box” items
- Some items still need to be thrown away (broken glass, etc.)
What to Save (Treasure Box Ideas):
- Cardboard boxes (all sizes!)
- Paper towel rolls
- Yogurt containers
- Bottle caps
- Fabric scraps
- Ribbon/string
- Clean jars
- Egg cartons
What NOT to Save:
- Anything sharp
- Anything that can’t be cleaned
- Too much! (Don’t become hoarders!)
Extension Ideas:
- Make cardboard box city
- Egg carton caterpillars
- Bottle cap matching game
- Paper roll binoculars
- Jar snow globe
- Visit recycling center (if age-appropriate tour available)
What Success Looks Like:
- Child says “Use it again!” before throwing away
- Asks “Can we keep this?”
- Creates things from “treasures”
- Understands some things can have second uses
🌟 CONNECTION TO OTHER TOPICS
- Topic 1 (Earth): Less garbage = cleaner Earth!
- Topic 8 (Help Earth): Not wasting = helping Earth!
Using things again is smart and helps Earth! ♻️
Part of Little Earth Friends – Ages 2-4
Building love for Earth from the very beginning
