Wildsight’s Beyond Recycling program returns yet again to McKim Middle School in Kimberley, kicking off with an informative unit about the waste in our world. We start by learning what waste is, where it comes from, how it’s changed over time, and how we can change our current waste habits. We do a waste audit, put on dress up costumes, act out historical characters, research the lifecycle of everyday objects, before finally going BEYOND.
Spensley’s grade 6’s went BEYOND talking about waste, taking action to reduce their impact on the planet through sewing! The action project of choice was a favourite among Beyond Recycling classes: turning old t-shirts into reusable bags.
Using their own old or too-small t-shirts from home or used shirts found at local thrift stores, we got crafty. We reduced waste by reducing the need for single-use plastic bags in the future, we reused old thrift store shirts that might otherwise end up in the landfill. And yes, we recycled, by breaking down shirts into smaller pieces before constructing something new. But just as importantly, we got out of our chairs, away from our books and used our hands to sew connections to the learning. Everyone had a blast doing it!
