Background information

Activities around recycling paper are a great way of introducing children to the concept of recycling. Once children appreciate that paper is made from trees, the connection between the products, recycling those products and the health of our environment becomes real.

But why is it important to recycle paper? Well there are a number of reasons and they're all very important:

Unless making paper from recycled paper, the bulk of the raw materials required for making paper come from trees. Trees are known as a finite resource, meaning that once they run out you won’t be able to get them back (although you will be able to grow more – however this requires time, energy and water). Recycling paper means we can use fewer trees.
Getting the raw materials from trees uses more energy than recycling. Growing trees requires water and energy. If trees are grown just for the paper this means less water and energy for the natural environment.
In the case of some of the larger Australian paper producers, wood from Australian trees is shipped to China for processing, then shipped back to Australia for more processing and sale. This requires huge amounts of energy, all of which adds to the total embodied energy of paper.
Finally, recycling reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. The less waste in landfill is less waste in our environment, which is better for everyone.

The paper cycle diagram shows how you can save trees by recycling.

Definitions:

Finite resource - Finite resources are also known as non-renewable resources, meaning that they will one day run out.
Embodied energy - the energy consumed through all of the processes associated with the production of a product or service, considered as if that energy was incorporated or 'embodied' in the product itself.

New words for kids to learn:

Recycle

Activity: The paper cycle

Ages – 0 to 2

What to do

This activity is in two parts and may be separated out over several sessions.

Preparation: Lay your items of paper, cardboard and wood out on a sensory table. Have water, spoons and paintbrushes available for adding to the paper, cardboard and wood.

Part 1

Begin by talking to children about all the ways that we use paper. Use examples of books, newspapers, brochures, notepads etc and ask children to examine these items. Ask children to use all their senses to explore these items.

How does the paper feel?
How does it smell?
How does it sound when it is scrunched up?
What sound does it make when it falls to the floor?

Repeat with cardboard and wood.

Consider walking around your centre looking for examples of paper, cardboard and wood inside and outside (don’t forget the trees!).

Look for other examples of wood at your centre, inside and outside.

Part 2

Return to your sensory table. Ask children to experiment with putting water onto the paper, cardboard and wood. How does the water change these things? If you can, leave the paper, cardboard and wood to dry in the sun and return at a later time to see how the water has changed them.

Optional: If you are able, place a small piece of paper in a ceramic or glass bowl and light the paper. How has the paper changed after being burned? What is left of the paper? Once cool, allow children to touch the ash. You could repeat for cardboard and wood, or bring in ash and charred wood from home.

Provocations

I wonder where we can find paper/cardboard/wood in our room?
I wonder where we can find paper/cardboard/wood at our centre?
I wonder how paper/cardboard/wood feels?
I wonder how paper/cardboard/wood smells?
I wonder how paper sounds when it is scrunched up?
I wonder how cardboard/wood sounds when tapped?
I wonder how paper/cardboard/wood sounds when it falls to the floor?

Possible lines of development

Look at different types of wood – different colours, textures and patterns.
Watch a seed grow - on Youtube or Vimeo.
Plant a tree - Click here to visit Planet Ark to find out how to plant a tree.
Add water to other materials to see how they are affected by being wet.

Ages – 2 to 3

This activity is in two parts and may be separated out over several sessions.

Preparation: Lay your items of paper, cardboard and wood out on a sensory table. Have water, spoons and paintbrushes available for adding to the paper, cardboard and wood.

Part 1

Begin by asking children to think about where you use paper, wood and cardboard in your centre. Consider taking a walk around the centre looking for examples (don’t forget the trees outside!).

Ask children to experiment with putting water onto the paper, cardboard and wood. How does the water change these things? If you can, leave the paper, cardboard and wood to dry in the sun and return at a later time to see how the water has changed them.

Optional: If you are able, place a small piece of paper in a ceramic or glass bowl and light the paper. How has the paper changed after being burned? What is left of the paper? Once cool, allow children to touch the ash. You could repeat for cardboard and wood, or bring in ash and charred wood from home.

Part 2

Where does paper come from? Trees are chopped down, the wood is turned into woodchips, and then broken down further into a mash that is dried out and rolled. The dried out and rolled mash is what we use to make paper and cardboard: if we want cardboard we don’t roll the mash too thin; but if we want paper the mash has to be rolled out very thin.

Show children the image of the paper cycle. Discuss this image.

Optional: Consider making paper with your children - How to make paper

Provocations

I wonder where we can find paper/cardboard/wood in our room?
I wonder where we can find paper/cardboard/wood at our centre?
I wonder how paper/cardboard/wood feels?
I wonder how paper/cardboard/wood smells?
I wonder how paper sounds when it is scrunched up?
I wonder how cardboard/wood sounds when tapped?
I wonder how paper/cardboard/wood sounds when it falls to the floor?

Possible lines of development

Different types of wood – different colours, textures, patterns in wood.
Look at the tree rings on a log – what do they mean and how many can you count? (They represent the age of the tree.)
How to make paper
Watch a seed grow - on Youtube or Vimeo.
Plant a tree - Click here to visit Planet Ark to find out how to plant a tree.
Make a class poster with tips for saving paper, e.g:

- Use both sides of the paper. Have a scrap paper tray for unimportant use.
- Make a ‘no junk mail’ sign for your centre. Have children make their own signs to take home.
- Recycle as much paper as you can. Remove staples, sticky tape, blu-tac and non-paper items before adding to the recycling bin.
- Have a paper recycling bin or tray in each room.

Ages – 3 to 5

What to do

Preparation: Collect a range of different types of paper and cardboard. Try to find some recycled paper, some paper with no recycled content, some handmade paper and some paper or cardboard of poor quality that you can see ‘bits’ in (like butchers paper).

Part 1

Begin by asking children to think about how we use paper, cardboard and wood. Can you find examples of each in your room?

How are paper, cardboard and wood related? They all come from trees!

Trees are chopped down, the wood is turned into woodchips, and then broken down further into a mash that is dried out and rolled. The dried out and rolled mash is what we use to make paper and cardboard: if we want cardboard we don’t roll the mash too thin; but if we want paper the mash has to be rolled out very thin.

Show children the image of the paper cycle. Discuss this image.

Show children the different types of paper you have collected. The ones that are smoother and with fewer bits have been rolled more and so the paper is of higher quality. You can test the quality of the paper by adding drops of water onto the paper and seeing how quickly the water soaks into the paper: the faster it is absorbed the lower the quality of the paper. Recycled paper is often of lower quality but given that we don’t use paper for carrying water, does this really matter?

Optional - How to make paper. You could consider embedding seeds into paper so that when used, the paper can be planted instead of put in the rubbish bin. The seeds may then grow into trees!

Provocations

I wonder where paper and cardboard come from?
I wonder how we use paper, cardboard and wood in our room and centre?
I wonder why it is important to use recycled paper?
I wonder how we can save paper?
I wonder why trees are special?
I wonder how we can help trees?

Possible lines of development

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenge and persisting when difficulty arises
Well being	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Encourage the use of less paper throughout your centre, including in staffrooms and toilets.
Encourage paper reuse and recycling throughout your centre - ensure there are trays for collecting scrap paper (e.g. paper only printed on one side).

National Recycling Week - The Paper Cycle

Go to

Summary

Activity Guides and Printables

Activity Details

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

Additional Info

In this activity