# Lesson 144: Creating from recycled materials

🔬 SCIENCE (40 Lessons) • 🟡 C. Materials and Matter

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## Objective

I can choose clean, safe recycled materials and use them to create a simple new object. I can tell how this helps take care of the Earth.

## Materials

- Clean recycled items (for example: cardboard tubes, small boxes, paper rolls, plastic bottles, bottle caps, yoghurt pots with no sharp edges)
- Safe joining tools (for example: tape, glue stick, string, paper clips, cloth strips)
- Child-safe scissors (with adult supervision)
- Paper for planning and drawing a simple design
- Pencil and crayons
- Optional: stickers or scrap paper for decoration

## Mini-lesson — Using recycled materials to create

Every day we use things that later go into the bin. Some of these things can be used again as recycled materials.

What are recycled materials?

- Recycled materials are things that have been used once and can be used again in a new way.
- Examples: clean cardboard boxes, paper rolls, plastic bottles, and bottle caps.
- They must be clean and safe with no sharp edges.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

- Reduce: try not to use more than we need.
- Reuse: use something again, such as turning a box into a toy garage.
- Recycle: send things to a place where they can be made into something new.

Planning a recycled creation

- Think of something simple to make, such as a robot, a car, or a house.
- Look at your materials and choose pieces that will fit your idea.
- Draw a quick plan and label parts like "body" or "wheels".

Building safely

- Check that all items are washed and dry.
- Ask an adult to help with scissors and any tricky parts.
- Use tape, glue, or string to join pieces gently.

When you create with recycled materials, you are using science and creativity together to help our planet.

Picture strip: From recycling bin to new creation

Collect and clean

Build a new model

## Guided Practice — Plan and build a recycled creation

You will choose recycled materials, draw a simple plan, and build a small model with an adult helping.

1. Collect safely: With an adult, look for clean boxes, tubes, bottles, and lids. Check that there is no sharp glass or metal.
2. Clean and dry: Rinse any food containers and let them dry. Throw away anything that is broken or sharp.
3. Choose an idea: Decide what to make, such as a robot, rocket, toy car, or animal.
4. Draw a plan: On your paper, draw your creation. Label at least two parts, such as "body", "head", or "wheels".
5. Build it: Use tape, glue, or string to join the pieces. Work slowly and ask an adult to help with scissors.
6. Decorate: Add simple decorations with crayons, scrap paper, or stickers if you like.
7. Talk about it: Tell an adult what you made and which parts came from recycled materials.
8. Use the tracing pad: Choose words like recycle, reuse, box, or Earth and trace them. Say a sentence such as "I reuse boxes to make a robot".

Tracing Pad
Lines
Trace
Pen

## Practice 1 — Sort safe recycled materials

Sort items into groups such as "safe to use" and "not safe" with an adult helping.

1. Draw two big boxes on your page. Label them "safe to use" and "not safe".
2. Think about different items people throw away: glass jars, cardboard tubes, metal cans, sharp broken pieces, and clean plastic bottles.
3. Draw or write each item in the box where it belongs. Talk with an adult if you are not sure.
4. Use words like clean, sharp, soft, and hard to explain your choices.
5. Circle three items that would be good for a recycled art project.

## Practice 2 — Plan a recycled creation

Use your imagination to plan a new object made from recycled materials.

1. On a clean page, draw your recycled creation in the middle.
2. Around your drawing, sketch the recycled materials you will use, such as "big box", "small tube", or "bottle cap".
3. Draw arrows from each material to the part of your creation it will become, such as "legs", "wheels", or "roof".
4. Write at least one sentence that starts with "I will reuse…" and finishes with what you will make.
5. Share your plan with an adult and ask if your materials are safe to use.

## Practice 3 — Explain how you help the Earth

Use your voice or writing to explain how creating from recycled materials helps the Earth.

1. Look at your finished creation or your plan.
2. Write or say one sentence that starts with "I helped the Earth when I…".
3. Use words like "reused", "did not waste", or "used a box again".
4. Draw a small picture of the Earth with a happy face and one arrow to your recycled creation.
5. Share your sentence and picture with someone and explain your idea.

## Quick Check — Creating from recycled materials

Answer each question about recycled materials, reusing, and helping the Earth.

1) What are recycled materials?

Brand new things from a shop. Things that were used once and can be used again in a new way. Only food that we eat.
Recycled materials are used items that can be used again in a new way.

2) Which item is usually good for a recycled art project?

A sharp piece of broken glass. A rusty metal can with sharp edges. A clean cardboard box.
Clean cardboard boxes are safe and easy to create with.

3) Before using a plastic yoghurt pot in a project, you should…

Wash it and let it dry. Leave old food inside. Throw it in the bin without looking.
We should wash containers and let them dry before using them again.

4) Which word means using something again?

Window. Reuse. Forget.
Reuse means to use something again instead of throwing it away.

5) Why is it good to create with recycled materials?

It makes more rubbish for the bin. It uses up all the clean water. It helps us use things again and throw away less.
Reusing materials means less rubbish and less waste.

6) Which sentence shows a safe choice?

"I used a clean box and bottle caps after an adult checked them." "I used a broken glass jar with sharp edges." "I used a can with sharp metal sticking out."
We only use clean, safe materials that have no sharp parts.

7) A child says, "I turned this box into a toy garage." This is an example of…

Throwing away. Reusing. Breaking.
The child reused the box by giving it a new job.

8) Which picture would best match "creating from recycled materials"?

A child throwing all boxes into a bin without looking. A child drawing a tree with no materials. A child taping clean boxes and tubes together to make a robot.
Building a robot from boxes and tubes shows creating with recycled items.

9) What is one thing you should do before starting a recycled art project?

Ask an adult to check which materials are safe. Use anything you find, even sharp pieces. Spill water on the floor.
An adult can help you check that all materials are safe to use.

10) Which sentence is a good way to explain your project?

"I used stuff." "I reused two boxes and a bottle to make a rocket." "I cannot remember what I did."
A clear sentence tells which materials you reused and what you made.

11) Which item is usually not safe for a young child to use in a project?

A clean cardboard tube. A washed plastic bottle with the lid off. A broken glass bottle with sharp edges.
Sharp glass is dangerous and should not be used by children.

12) How does creating with recycled materials help the Earth?

It means we throw away less and reuse more. It makes more rubbish and more waste. It uses all the trees at once.
Reusing materials means less rubbish and less waste for the Earth.

13) A child says, "First I drew a plan, then I built my model." What did the child do?

Used materials without thinking. Planned and then created with recycled materials. Threw the model away at once.
Drawing a plan and then building shows careful creating.

14) Which sentence matches "reusing"?

"I used the box once and then put it in the bin." "I broke the box into tiny pieces and left them outside." "I used the box again to make a house for my toys."
Reusing means giving the box a new job instead of throwing it away.

15) Why do we learn about creating from recycled materials?

To use science and creativity to care for our world. Only to make a mess with glue. So we never tidy up again.
Creating from recycled materials helps us use science, art, and care for the Earth.

## Assessment (parent/teacher)

Student can explain in simple words what recycled materials are. Student can choose clean, safe recycled materials for a small project. Student can plan and build a simple creation from recycled items with support. Student can name at least one way that reusing materials helps the Earth. Student can describe their recycled creation using words like reuse, box, bottle, and Earth.

## Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can create something from recycled materials and explain how it helps the Earth. 🙂 I can use some recycled materials but still need more practice planning my creations. 😅 Creating with recycled materials still feels a bit tricky.

#### Next time I will practise…

Choosing safe recycled materials Drawing a clear plan before I build Explaining how my project helps the Earth
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