The Crawford County Solid Waste Management District provides educational opportunities and resources for schools in the area. Classroom presentations, field trips, annual events and litter clean up volunteering are just some of the ways to raise awareness about recycling to our community. See below for detailed information.
Contact us:
Diane Awbrey – Education Information Coordinator, 419-562-8280
- Schedule a tour or presentation
- Receive a free copy of our environmental resource guide
- Technical Assistance with a recycling program
- To schedule a “Recyclesauras Rex” for a school or group presentation
- The Crawford Park District partners with the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition.
For river clean-up or general litter clean-up opportunities, contact the Park District at 419-683-9000.
Educational Presentations
Presentations will focus on recycling, litter prevention and solid waste management. Some presentations may include videos, puppet shows, and hands on activities such as papermaking, plastic making, or arts and crafts projects. Other presentations will relate to model courses of study and proficiency test learning outcomes. Below, is a sample of some of the presentations that are available through the Crawford County Solid Waste Management District Please call for a complete list of school or group presentations available.
Papermaking/Paper Jewelry
Students will be given a demonstration on how recycled paper is made. The steps in the papermaking process will be discussed. Effective method of showing students changes in matter, how energy can be saved by using recycled paper and how paper is recycled and can be used for writing or making an ornament or gift.
Plastics in our Environment
Students will be able to recognize the place of plastics in virtually every aspect of their lives. Demonstrates, using hands-on method, how plastics are made (using chemical change) as well as experimenting with melting of plastics (physical change) by making “Shrinky Dinks”.
Home Safe Home
Students need to know what items in their households are potentially hazardous, what are other alternatives and how those can be made. Students will be shown, how to make environmentally friendly bath salts.
Garbage Pizza
Students will make a garbage pizza (pie chart) on a plate. Toppings are from different categories of wastes that are discarded in landfills. Effective in demonstrating what we throwaway, how much of each item is thrown away and what could be reduced, reused, recycled or composted.
Nature’s Way With Waste -Activities 1-5
Activity 1 – What is nature’s garbage, and how does it become part of the food chain?
Activity 2 – Why do some things take longer to decay than others?
Activity 3 – How is compost made by tiny organisms?
Activity 4 – Components of a compost pile.
Activity 5 – How is compost made?
Fishing for litter
Students fish for litter habits in a fishing game that uses a pole and fish containing good and bad habits. When students catch a litter habit, they read it and infer whether to place it in the good habit section or the bad habit section. Students graph the habits at the end of the activity.
Fred the Fish
How can we help the environment? Fred, a pretend fish, lives in a nice clean world of water. Litter makes Fred’s world dirty. Various pollutants are used to simulate the affects on the world by how and where we dispose of our trash.
Mining and Recycling – Students manipulate materials to simulate a mining operation using chocolate chip cookies. ‘Students will be able to describe how resources are extracted from the earth, and the harmful effects resource extraction has on the environment.
3Rs
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle-Students will learn how they can help the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling items that are usually thrown away. They will be taking a cast of five (5) recyclables through a maze and help them find their way to the recycling center.
POPSI and the Secrets of the Dump
Students read the story book “Secrets of the Dump” to learn about Popsi and how she is transformed from plastic bottles dumped in the “Big Hole” (Landfill). Popsi is a plush toy manufactured out of fabric made from recycled P.E.T. plastic. Popsi teaches students about the environment, how to recognize value in seemingly worthless trash and respect for old items.
Show’ Em Sherlock
Students will analyze information in a mystery game to discover which of five (5) recyclable materials is their identity. Students make inferences from the information gathered about the effect of recycling upon the environment.
Worms: Nature’s Recyclers
Demonstration on working worm bin. Teaches about soil, composting, life cycle, reproduction, and anatomy.