Check comprehension and inspire discussion.

1. What does a company turn milk jugs into?
(toys)

2. What is the first step? (Hint: You can probably do this.)
(Put your empty plastic milk jugs into a recycling bin.)

3. How does the plastic change when it’s put in a hot machine?
(It melts and gets soft and runny.)

4. What kind of toy would you like to make from recycled milk jugs?
(Answers will vary)

Go online to print or project the Reading Checkpoint.

Materials: empty plastic bottles, balls to bowl with, masking tape, pencils, copies of the skill sheet (optional: water and food coloring or drops of paint to fill bottles, Sharpie to write the numbers 1-10 on the bottles)

Overview: Children “upcycle” used plastic bottles into a new toy: bowling pins!

Directions:

1. A few days before the lesson, ask students to bring in empty plastic water bottles to “upcycle” into a new toy! Collect enough bottles for several small groups to have 10 pins each. You can fill bottles with water and color and number them, or leave as is.
2. To start, tell kids their water bottles have become bowling pins! Divide them into groups. Give each child a skill sheet and give each group of kids 10 pins and a ball.
3. How can kids set up their pins so they’re easiest to knock down? They can experiment with different configurations.
4. Then let them see what works better—rolling the ball hard or softly. Record results on the skill sheets.