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Description

Get crafty to learn about endangered animals and how recycling can help everyone.
Courtesy of The Scout Association - https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/the-art-of-recycling/


All materials © The Scout Association

Resources

Scissors
String
Various items of plastic and cardboard that can be recycled at home.

Instructions

UNDERSTAND ENDANGERED ANIMALS
The person leading the activity should ask if anyone can name an endangered animal. People could think about elephants (specifically Asian elephants or Indian elephants), chimpanzees, or green turtles.

The person leading the activity should explain that animals are put in groups based on things like how many of that animal are left in the wild, if the numbers are dropping quickly, or if they can only be found in a small area. These groups help people know which animals are closest to extinction (dying out).

We talk a lot about ‘endangered’ animals, but there are three groups of ‘threatened’ animals: vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered.

Anyone who’s brought a picture of an endangered animal should share it with everyone else. People could try to guess the animal from the picture; for an even bigger challenge, someone could describe the picture to others who can’t see it.

Everyone should help the person leading the activity to lay the recycling across some tables. It’s best to jumble it all up so everyone can reach some big, some small, some short, and some long items.


MAKE A MODEL
Everyone should choose their favourite endangered animal.

Everyone should think about the shapes that make up the animal they chose. They should try to match those shapes up with the recycling they can see. A box could make a great body while a long, thin piece of recycling could be a long, thin neck, or a few toilet roll tubes could become sturdy legs.

Everyone should use the recycling to make a model of their endangered animal. They shouldn’t use glue, sticky tape, or glitter as they can’t be recycled. It’s best to try and slot things together, asking a grown up to do any cutting with sharp scissors. If that doesn’t work, people could use string (as it’s easy to take off and reuse).


CHAT ABOUT CHANGE
Everyone should take it in turns to show off their models. Everyone should encourage each other – perhaps they could point out their favourite bit of someone’s model.

Everyone should suggest actions they could do to help endangered animals so they don’t become extinct. [They might think about talking to family and friends (so more people know), growing plants (to feed local animals and provide oxygen), trying not to buy plastic (making plastic uses lots of materials and it isn’t good for animals either), volunteering in a local wildlife refuge (even if there’s not one for threatened animals nearby), or picking up litter when they spot it.]

When they’ve finished admiring their models, everyone should take them apart so they can recycle all of the parts. Make sure to remove anything like string that can’t be recycled. [It’s OK if people aren’t ready to take their models apart before they go home. They can take them home to show people and enjoy, then recycle them later. ]

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Badge Links

• Creative - Construction
• Global Issues - Endangered animals
• Global Issues - Energy or recycling
• Skills - Creative activity