Games on ecology and recycling
The best games can be invaluable educational tools. Do you want to educate your children? Play these ecology and recycling themed games to learn about the environment and its role. Also Read: Cow Coloring Pages
Eco Scavenger Hunt
This might be the most accessible treasure hunt you’ve ever organized. There is no need to hide anything or buy things to find. Just drop the kids into a play area with a simple list of things to see: sticks, rocks, feathers, flowers, leaves of different colors, anything you can think of (if you want them to clean up an area, you can put things like bottles, plastic bags, etc.). Older children can then build fairy houses with salvaged materials. And if you play to choose the items to find, you can have the children clean up an entire area: give points or bonus prizes for waste that can be reused or recycled.
Recycling race
There are multiple ways to introduce kids to recycling, and one of the most exciting is a race or contest. The contest can take many forms: you can organize a race to clean up a neighbourhood park and separate the recyclables (remember to make them wear gloves!) or sort out what is already in your recycling bin. If your local recycling centre offers money for cans or bottles, you can determine the winner that way! You can also organize manual activities with these “treasures” and teach children that there are many crafts to recycle. You can make a skipping rope out of plastic bags and turn an egg carton into a pencil pot tin beer can.
Toxins
Introduce children to the harm pesticides can do in the food chain by playing this game about the food chain and pesticides! Then talk about possible alternatives! The competition aims to show them how pesticides infiltrate food chains and their consequences on nature and the environment.
Race for recycling bins
In this recycling-themed game, you’ll have to call out items to recycle, one at a time. Children should then run and stand under the sign corresponding to the recycling bin to which the article belongs. Gather the children in the play area. Tell them that they have to role-play the item that can be recycled and that they have to bring it to the correct recycling crate as fast as feasible. Ask the children to make three signs: “Plastic”, “Glass”, and “Paper”. Hang the signs in different parts of the play area. Here is a list of items you can name (feel free to make your list): yoghurt jar, pickle jar, magazine, newspaper, jam jar, cereal box, water bottle, ketchup bottle.
Ecological Relay
A bit like the race for recycling bins, but the goal is to place accurate items in the containers this time. Divide the children into teams and tell them to form a line per team. Place two recycling bins at the end of each row: one labelled “Plastic” and another labelled “Paper.” At the beginning of each line, place a basin (or other) filled with objects to be recycled (jar of yoghurt, a small bottle of water, a magazine, old mail, etc.): there must be the same items in the basin of each team. At the starting signal, the first player in each line must pass one of the recyclable elements to the next player, indicating what type of object it is. For example, each of the teammates must move the thing differently from the one they received: they can pass it under their legs, on the head or on the back. When the item to be recycled reaches the end of the line, the last player must put it in the correct container. The team that empties its basin first without making a mistake in the recycling bins wins the game.
Race to waste
This game about ecology and recycling helps clean up the outdoor location where you play: a park, a schoolyard, or a neighbourhood. Children pick up litter as a team, wearing gloves for protection. Ask children to avoid sharp objects. Garbage collection tools also protect children and bring them much more fun, especially the garbage grabber. The dream is to gather as much trash as possible. If you’re picking up a lot of waste, you’ll probably need to estimate or weigh the trash bags. For small cleanup efforts, count each team’s pieces of debris collected. The team that collects the most trash is the winner. The environment also wins since this game eliminates waste from the area. Discuss the importance of cleaning up your junk instead of throwing it on the ground, including the impacts of debris left outside.
Another way to play this eco-friendly game is to sort the recyclable items from the non-recyclable ones. The group that finds the multiple recyclable items is the champion. Show the children how many things were left in the trash after taking out the recyclables. This lessens the piece of waste sent to dumps by mailing at most minor some of it to the recycling factory.
Nature’s Balance
This game teaches children about the balance of nature. The children are divided into three groups: the bobcats, the grass and the mice. A visible marker, such as a different coloured ribbon, helps children identify themselves. Mice try to grab grass because mice eat grass. Bobcats catch mice because bobcats eat mice. Players represent grass catch bobcats because bobcats provide nutrients to grass when they die. If a player is hit, they become the following species in the chain. For example, if a bobcat is hit, it becomes grass. Stop the game periodically to determine the balance of each species. This leads to a discussion of the impact of the balance between plants and animals.
