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Background If you look around you will
notice plastic cups, newspapers and soda cans collected around storm drains,
blown into corners of buildings, parking lots and school yards, and in
and around waterways. If we are to have a clean environment, sometimes
it means that we have to do our part. This activity gives instructions
for organizing a clean-up in and around your adopted waterway.
Activity Objective Ideally, this activity should be done at least 4 times during the school year. Below are steps and you can help with in organizing the cleanup. The Week Before: 1. Scout out the area you will be cleaning up to define the clean-up boundaries and to become familiar with the area. 2. If you are doing the cleanup with a class, make sure permission forms are taken home to parents. 3. Get trash bags from the Stormwater Quality Office 4. Find parent helpers The Day Before 1. Make sure everyone has signed permission slips. 2. Divide into teams of 3 (one person will need to write down items they find for the scavenger hunt). 3. Review purpose of the Clean-up Treasure Hunt. Explain that they will be cleaning up the watershed and the waterway that your class has adopted. Clean-ups are a very important way of maintaining and improving water quality and habitat. 4. Everyone should bring a pair of work gloves to school for the clean-up. Clean-up Day 1. Pass out scavenger hunt and discuss it. 2. Pass out 2 plastic garbage bags per group. In one, they should put recyclable items, in the other trash. 3. Remind everyone to be careful when picking up broken glass. Tell them they should not pick up anything that looks dangerous or harmful. After Clean-up Discussion 1. Discuss what trashy treasures were found on the clean-up. 2. How do you feel about the clean-up activity. Did you like it? What did you find out about the area around the waterway? What are some things you can
do to help reduce the amount of trash found in the watershed and in/near
the water? |
