Plastic!

                                          
I read an article this week about how microplastics are killing juvenile fish before they even reach maturity. The implications of this are pretty scary. In case you don't know, microplastics are the tiny particles of plastic that find their way into the ocean from waste such as plastic bags and plastic bottles, as well as from plastic microbeads - these are tiny beads included in some modern cosmetics such as skin cleaners.
My immediate thought on all this is how can we raise children to reject as much plastic as they can?
For sure, there are times when plastic is convenient, but can we try to raise a generation of kids who simply avoid plastic? Learning about ocean life is a good place to start. Few kids want to hurt animals anywhere and when they learn about how plastic is killing marine life, then they are more likely to avoid the root cause of so much destruction. In this video, the Curious Kids learn about marine life in the Gulf of Mexico:

Here are a few more resources to help you plan a fun and engaging class for your students:

• Sing the Recycling Boogie 
• Check out this List of products that contain microbeads - invite the kids to check out products at home and see what they find.
• The Story of Stuff has a good video to learn about microbeads.
• The Article in the Guardian about how the plastic beads are killing the fish.
• 100 Ways to a Plastic Free Life 

Check out more Earth and Rosie programs like the  Little Earth Charter (see top of the page)  - or the Footprint Game (on the right side of this page).