3 (FUN) WAYS TO TEACH KIDS ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION

Tap into children’s creativity to transform plastic containers into toys, such as musical instruments, floating rafts, or cool pencil holders. Why not share the story of how a nine-metre-long sailboat, named Flipflopi, was constructed using 10 tonnes of recycled trash from Kenya’s beaches and sailed 500 kilometres to Zanzibar to raise plastic pollution awareness. For more crafty inspiration, here are eight plastic bottle ideas for kids to try today.

Help children identify single-use plastics and brainstorm ways to help solve the problem. Highlight the importance of recycling so that waste can be made into something new. Join the Kids vs Plastic movement and print out a “certificate of heroism” for being a planet protector.

At story-time, read books about the dangers of plastic pollution, such as Duffy’s Lucky Escape to explain how sea animals often eat or get caught in debris. Watch cartoons or films that illustrate environmental lessons, such as “All the Way to the Ocean” – a story following two children who discover that the plastic bottle they dropped ends up in the ocean, taking hundreds of years to disintegrate and harming marine life. For more information and fun learning materials, browse the National Geographic Kids Edition for planet-friendly solutions.