At Home Activities

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with SWACO and COSI!

Do you know what is and is not accepted for recycling in Franklin County, Ohio? SWACO and COSI are here to help with the Recycle Right program and the Recycle Right Exhibit at COSI!  To download reuse activities and watch educational videos, visit our partner webpage.

• Ages: Ideal for all ages

Recycled Paper Bead Bracelet

Want to make something beautiful out of all that junk mail or the magazines destined for the recycling bin? We can encourage kids to reuse and recycle paper while creatively thinking by making paper bead bracelets or necklaces to reinforce environmentally sustainable behaviors that will last a lifetime. View the instructional guide for the Recycled Paper Bead Bracelet (PDF).

• Ages: Ideal for all ages

Recycling Relay Race

The Recycling Relay Race is a non-competitive relay where students can examine various items and determine how to sort them in the appropriate bin.  This activity can easily be adapted for kids at home to play as well!  Begin with making sure your students know why it’s important to dispose of materials in the right way and why some materials should be recycled, rather than just thrown away.  They should know that recycling is the process of taking an item and making it into another item thereby conserving natural resources, reducing pollution, and diverting materials from the landfill.  Go to recycleright.org to confirm what is accepted for recycling in Franklin County.

View the instructional guide for the recycling relay race (PDF). 

• Ages: Ideal 5-18 years old

Protecting Our Planet Starts with You

Looking for ideas to contribute to a cleaner environment and planet? View the Green Report Card (PDF) & How Can I Help (PDF) brochures to learn how you can make a difference! 

• Ages: Ideal for all ages

Be a Recycling Detective

Students will follow the trail of puzzles and clues to learn about the importance of reducing waste and saving natural resources.  Think like a detective to solve the mystery and protect the environment!  View the instructional guide for how to be a recycling detective (PDF). 

• Ages: 1st - 4th grade

Recycle Right Activities 

Many households in Franklin County regularly recycle, but it can be difficult to understand how to do it correctly. Please visit recycleright.org to learn more about what you can and cannot recycle at your home.  Once you’ve learned how to recycle right, complete the sorting activity (PDF) and crossword puzzle (PDF) to become a recycling champion!

• Ages: 3rd - 5th grade

Trash to Treasure Craft Projects

Looking for a craft project to do with the kids?  Think about doing a trash-to-treasure art project and reusing materials that would have otherwise been discarded.  This is a great way to take something old and make it new again.   Green crafting is an easy way to be kind to the earth while being creative and having fun at the same time! View a variety of trash-to-treasure craft project ideas here (website link). 

• Ages: Ideal for all ages

Compost in a Bottle

Nature recycles our organic materials through the process of decomposition or composting.  Kids can take an active role in the composting process by turning any plastic bottle into their very own DIY composter.  This at-home experiment will demonstrate the decomposition process and simulate the breakdown of organic matter (our food scraps) into compost.  When we compost our organic materials, we recycle nutrients back into the soil, save money on fertilizers, and reduce the amount of waste sent to our local landfill.  Once you get the hang of composting in the bottle, you can upgrade to a compost tumbler outside to make even more nutrient-rich soil for your garden! 

View the instructional guide for Compost in a Bottle (PDF). 

• Ages: Ideal for 5-18 years old

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Activities

Many households in Franklin County regularly recycle, but it can be difficult to understand how to do it correctly. Please go to recycleright.org to learn more about what you can and cannot recycle at your home.  Once you’ve learned how to recycle right, SWACO has a variety of free educational lessons here (PDF) to educate students about why waste reduction, reuse and recycling is important! 

• Ages: Ideal for 5-18 years old

Build a Recycled Tower

Stuck inside and looking for a hands-on STEM activity for the kids? Have the kids gather materials from the recycling bin such as cans, newspaper, cardboard and bottles to design their very own recycled tower.  Engineers are designing buildings and other products by reusing things that other people might consider garbage. Think like an engineer and construct a tower at least 3 ft. tall that can survive a wind and earthquake test! View the lesson, worksheets, and instructional video on how to build a recycled tower (website link). 

• Ages: Ideal for 3-5th grade