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Classroom Workshops

Classroom Workshops Worm Bin Composting Students examine worms from their classroom worm bin.

Follow up on the information provided in the assembly with action-oriented activities in the classroom. Choose from a variety of workshop topics that are tied to Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) (PDF, 70 K) with an emphasis on science and communication.

Each classroom workshop will end with a short presentation on Green Teams. Materials, including the Green Team registration packet, action project ideas and resources, will be provided as part of this five-minute introduction to the Green Team program.

Schools that receive the assembly can choose three of its classrooms to receive a follow-up classroom workshop from the selection below. Assembly workshops are 45 minutes long and should be scheduled consecutively on a day following the assembly. Schools wishing to schedule Green Team workshops are not required to first schedule an assembly. Requests for an entire grade level to receive a particular workshop are considered and accommodated when possible.

Primary Classroom Workshops: Grades 1-3
Intermediate Classroom Workshops: Grades 3-6
Green Team Workshops

Primary Classroom Workshops: Grades 1-3

Healthy Habitat

By exploring the basic components of habitat - food, water, shelter and space - students make the connection between their actions and a healthy habitat. Students play a game that introduces them to a variety of animals native to the Northwest, the types of habitat they need and simple ways to protect their habitats.

Introduction to Recycling

Students are introduced to the concepts of waste reduction, reuse and recycling, and their practice at home and in school. Through an activity on sorting recyclables, students learn how improper sorting and contamination can be a problem. The workshop concludes with a fast-paced quiz game in which students review what can and can't be recycled.

Nature's Cycles: Leaves and Litter*

Students compare and contrast the life cycles of natural and human-made products, following the life cycles of both from creation to disposal. Through hands-on activities that use nature's systems as an example, students explore ways that humans can work toward reducing their waste.
* Litter education funded by Washington State Department of Ecology.

Intermediate Classroom Workshops: Grades 3-6

Earth Smart Shopping

Students learn to be their own waste detectives and to calculate cost and waste per serving. Examining popular lunch and snack products, students learn about packaging and how their consumer habits affect the environment. They learn to recognize packaging that is wasteful and compare it with packaging that is reusable, recyclable and makes less waste.

Garbology

What do a 20-year-old hot dog and a newspaper from 1956 have in common? They might both be found in our local landfill. What happens to the things we throw in the trash? With hands-on activities, students will "dig into" a landfill to discover the simple science of decomposition and the importance of the four Rs.

Habitat Stewardship

This more advanced habitat workshop introduces the concept of "stewardship," providing an in depth look at the necessary components of habitat and the roles we play in keeping it healthy. Students examine their personal choices and their impacts on the environment as they learn about several native Northwest animals and their habitats.

Recycling Leadership (Green Team Workshop)

For classes ready to be leaders within their school, this workshop goes beyond basic recycling. Through hands-on activities and games, students learn proper sorting of recyclables, discuss recycling problems within the school, and brainstorm ways to address them. Students consider ways such as research, skits, posters, or intercom announcements to address and solve school recycling problems.

Green Team Workshops: Grades 1-6

Green Team workshops are available to classes at schools that may or may not have had the assembly program. Classes that want to take on action projects that will help reduce waste in the environment are encouraged to sign up for a Green Team workshop.

Environmental Leadership

For students ready to become habitat stewards, this workshop assists them in planning a project such as picking up litter, organizing a waste-free lunch, adopting a garden, or conducting a stewardship project of their choice. Students may use writing, drama, or art skills to develop letters, posters, announcements, skits, or other techniques to share their findings with the larger community and encourage conservation behaviors.

Hands-On Classroom Reuse Activities

This hands-on workshop teaches students how using something again can make a difference in the environment. The class participates in a reuse project, demonstrating how reusing can be both functional and fun. Students may create envelopes, pop-up cards, picture frames, or twig notebook pads.

Worm Bins and Food Composting

Everything you need to know about setting up and maintaining your worm bin is explained. Students learn how composting is a big part of the four Rs and how worm bins cut down on garbage. The presenter brings red wiggler worms to your classroom. All you need to supply are the container and bedding (newspaper and leaves) to start a worm bin.

These programs and services are available to schools in King County (schools within the Seattle city limits are eligible only for the Household Hazardous Waste program) and are provided at no charge to the recipient.

King County thanks the Washington State Department of Ecology for funding the litter education portion of this program.

To schedule a workshop, contact Triangle Associates at 206-583-0655 or workshops@triangleassociates.com.

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