School News You Can Use – October, 2015

 ONLY TWO WEEKS TO HALLOWEEN!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• CLUB News – FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge & School Conference News
  
• In The News – Recycle Bowl & America Recycles Day
• EPA & NHDES News – Earth Science Week & Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
• Activity – Leaf Rubbings & Candy Corn Treats
  
• Green Calendar 
  

Click here to view PDF

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CLUB NEWS

 New Member White Birch off to a good start!

White Birch Community Center Early Learning Center – Week 1 of new recycling program!

FIRST® LEGO® League TRASH TREK℠ Challenge

Several CLUB members have contacted us about this year’s FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge. FLL® has selected TRASH TREK℠ as the subject for their 2015 Project.

Each team will:

We may not be able to answer all of your inquiries, so please keep in mind that your local transfer station and waste haulers can answer your questions and may allow you to tour their facilities.

There are so many inspiring stories of individuals and companies finding recycling solutions.  We have added some great examples in this newsletter and don’t forget our newsletter archive for more ideas.

 2016 Conference Date Set!

SAVE THE DATE & COME TO THE CASTLE !

May 17, 2016

NRRA’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE & EXPO

May 16 and 17, 2016! NRRA announces it 35th Anniversary Emerald Jubilee Conference …..“It’s Not Easy Being GREEN!!”  We are moving south from Manchester to Nashua, NH. The Castle is rolling out the emerald carpet for this very special, first in the nation conference and exposition. Stay tuned, as we ramp up even earlier than usual with workshop proposals and exhibit opportunities that cannot be missed. Once we go live for registration I encourage all to sign up early to take advantage of the Early …Early Bird Discounts and the Special Value Package. The line-up for next spring will include Nationally Recognized Experts in this ever changing field and as usual, NRRA will be leading the way with the most up to date and cutting edge information you can use. You won’t want to miss this historic event.

SCHOOL CLUB CONFERENCE

The School CLUB will host our 7th Annual Conference on Tuesday, May 17.  By offering this in May, we hope more students and teachers will be able to attend.  If there are specific workshops you would like to see, please let me know. We are already planning a number of activities, games, scavenger hunt and surprises to make this a memorable event.  Watch for details in future newsletters but mark your calendars now!

 Team Earth ReVamp & Poster Contest

It’s been a busy summer at the CLUB.  We have updated the Team Earth Program Manual and have launched a Team Earth Poster Contest (see below) that will run through April 15, 2016.

DEADLINE:  Email a picture of your entry to [email protected] by Friday, April 15, 2016 to be eligible!

Would you like to host a TOLD, Garbage Guerillas or another Workshop at your school? Let the CLUB Help!

• Improves academic performance, especially in science and math
• Can lead to financial savings for schools
• Decreases the school’s carbon footprint through practical solutions that reduce energy and water consumption
• Reduces school waste and conserves natural resources
• Encourages student environmental awareness and stewardship
• Increases parental involvement
• Helps students and teachers develop stronger relationships with their communities

Previous EPA EE-funded research at over 200 New England schools completed by the NRRA School Recycling CLUB (the CLUB) found that the single most challenging area for school recycling programs was in providing curriculum integrations that brought recycling and sustainability into classrooms to be used as the subject matter for meeting state and local curriculum standards.  The intention of the CLUB programs is to address just that issue in schools across all six New England states. Our goal is to use the CLUB’s workshops and technical assistance programs, all experiential and hands on, as a tool for educating K-12 students about consumption, proper diversion of waste, the resulting impacts on climate change and what they can do to change it.  Through these offerings, we are also afforded the opportunity to link these priorities to curriculum standards.  In addition, these workshops will model, for educators or community leaders, exemplary ways of teaching in creative, effective, and efficient methods about human health threats from environmental pollution as well as how to minimize human exposure to preserve good health. Click here to learn more or contact us at [email protected] or call 1.603.736.4401 ext. 19

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IN THE NEWS

2015 Recycle-Bowl Competition registration is now open!

REGISTER!

Why Recycle-Bowl?

Recycling is the easiest and most effective thing that ANYONE can do to protect natural resources, conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions. Recycling also creates jobs and stimulates our economy. And, friendly competition is a proven way to motivate young people toward adopting sustainable behaviors.

Many schools have been slow to embrace recycling. Through Recycle-Bowl, we hope to galvanize recycling in elementary, middle and high schools across America.

Our Mission

Invigorate student participation through a national K-12 recycling competition.

Objectives

• Establish new recycling programs within schools
• Increase recycling rates in schools that currently recycle
• Provide teacher/student educational opportunities about recycling and waste reduction

For detailed instructions on how to register, click here.  Please be sure to register by October 13th.  The competition begins October 19th!

America Recycles Day – November 15

America Recycles Day, a program of Keep America Beautiful, is a nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Every year on November 15 (America Recycles Day) event organizers educate neighbors, friends and colleagues through thousands of events. Keep America Beautiful created guides, tools, templates and tips to make it easy to organize your local school or community event.

To learn more, click here.

And don’t forget the TREX Challenge!

Trex Company Challenges Schools Nationwide to Turn Trash Into Treasure

From our friends at MarketWatch
Published: Sept 21, 2015 9:04 a.m. ET

Composite Decking Leader Hosts Competition to Incentivize and Educate About Recycling

WINCHESTER, VA, Sep 21, 2015 (Marketwired via COMTEX) — It’s easy being green! That’s the message Trex wants to convey to students across the country this year. On November 15th, in conjunction with America Recycles Day, the world’s number one decking and railing brand and leader in high-performance, low-maintenance outdoor living products will kick off its annual Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, which encourages elementary, middle and high schools to collect plastic bags and other types of polyethylene for the chance to win Trex products for their schools.
“In addition to promoting fun, healthy competition, the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge provides students with a better understanding and appreciation for the importance of recycling,” said Stephanie Hicks, material resource coordinator for Trex. “Last year, more than 430 schools from across the country participated and, together, collected more than 167,000 pounds of plastic film. Instead of going into landfills, that plastic waste was converted into beautiful Trex decking.”
One of the largest recyclers of plastic in the U.S., Trex uses more than 1.5 billion plastic bags to make its eco-friendly, wood-alternative outdoor living products each year. A standard 16-foot Trex board contains recycled material from approximately 2,250 plastic bags. In addition to plastic grocery and retail bags, Trex reuses polyethylene plastic from a variety of common household items — such as case overwraps, sandwich/bread bags, newspaper sleeves and dry cleaning bags — to create composite products that offer a superior alternative to wood and an environmentally responsible choice to consumers.
“Trex was literally built on the use of sustainable materials, and our commitment to preserving and protecting the environment continues to influence everything we do as a company,” says Jim Cline, president and CEO of Trex. “The Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge helps students to incorporate recycling into their daily lives, and helps us to continue to produce high-performance, sustainable outdoor living products.”
The Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge pits schools across the country against one another in a fun and spirited race to collect and recycle the most plastic film per capita between Nov. 15, 2015 and April 15, 2016. Easy-to-implement for schools of any type, the turnkey program comes complete with detailed instructions, promotional materials, recycling bins and a list of qualifying recyclable materials, which include:

— Grocery and retail bags
— Bread bags
— Case overwraps
— Dry cleaning bags
— Newspaper sleeves
— Ice bags
— Wood pellet bags
— Ziploc and other reclose-able bags
— Produce bags
— Bubble wrap
— Salt bags
— Cereal bags

Participants weigh and report collection totals to Trex each month throughout the program before delivering the recycled plastic to designated Trex drop-off points in their communities. The recycled material is then shipped to Trex for processing.
Regional finalists and a national winner will be announced in conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, 2016. All participating schools receive an award made from Trex decking boards. Regional and national winners each will earn a Trex composite bench to help beautify their school’s playground or campus.
To enroll your school in the 2015-16 Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, complete the online form at http://www.trex.com/recycling/recycling-programs/ by October 15, 2015.

WHOLE KIDS FOUNDATION is accepting applications for a school garden grant program in public, private, and charter K-12 schools. 2015 Deadlines: 10/31 and 11/15.

Click here to visit the website to review funding guidelines.

US School Gardens
NOW OPEN!

Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the School Garden Grant program provides a $2,000 monetary grant to a K-12 school, or a nonprofit working in partnership with a K-12 school, to support a new or existing edible garden on school grounds.

Interested in a garden grant for a non-profit children’s programming organization, not located at a school? Check out our NEW Extended Learning Garden Grant program!

2016 School Garden Grant Program

Application Open: September 1st, 2015
Application Closed: October 31, 2015 at 5pm CST
Review Period: Winter 2016
Notification of all applicants: February 15, 2016
Apply here!

Important information and resources:
• School Garden Grant Application – A copy of the 2016 application questions. Get started now!
• School Garden Grant FAQs – Review these helpful FAQs regarding the school garden grant application process.
• School Garden Grant Writing Tips – FoodCorps reviewer tips for a successful grant application!
• Visit our School Garden Resource Center for guidance on planning your school garden.
• Explore our new School Garden Curriculum for tips on how to make your garden an edible education experience!
Email [email protected] with any questions.
Want more inspiration? Check out our School Garden success stories!

Why School Gardens?
Whole Kids Foundation believes that student involvement in a school garden fosters a relationship between students and their food. It creates knowledge of and respect for whole nutritious food, informing their food choices for years to come.

Since 2011, Whole Kids Foundation has invested over $6 million to support over 3,000 school gardens across the United States and Canada. Check out the online map to see where we have supported grants.

From Resource Recycling, October 6, 2015

Johnson & Johnson has teamed up with publishing company Scholastic to launch a kid-friendly, web-based education campaign about the importance of at-home recycling. The Care to Recycle campaign provides lesson plans for teachers, interactive recycling competitions for students and tips to encourage recycling among children.

CLASSROOM MATERIALS

LESSON 1 – PETE’s Bathroom Bin Challenge!* (ELA)

Students share why it’s important to recycle household products by taking PETE’s Bathroom Bin Challenge.

1 – Teach ELA Lesson Plan 1 and distribute the student worksheet.
2 – Print out and complete entry forms.
3 – Mail in the completed entry forms (including parent or legal guardian signatures), your students’ essays, and students’ posters for the chance to win prizes!

Click for Official Rules | Entries due Oct. 27, 2015!

Prizes include a $500 gift card, a kid’s bike and helmet, Johnson & Johnson Product Gift Pack and a National Parks Pass.

Download Activity Sheet

LESSON 2 – The More You Know + Bathroom Bin = Better Recycling (Math)
Students look for recyclable items at home and learn the impact these items can have on protecting the planet.

Download Activity Sheet

LESSON 3 – A Recycling Journey with PETE the Duck (Science)
Students go on a renewable resource life-cycle journey led by PETE the Duck.

Download Activity Sheet

CLASSROOM POSTER
Use this infographic to teach students more about recycling at home with their families.

PARENT SEND-HOME SHEET

 Com-poster contest!

Deadline: November 14, 2015, midnight
Please forward this to the artist in your life!!!

ALL AGES. FREE SUBMISSION. $500 PRIZE.

The US Composting Council (USCC) is seeking designs for the annual International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) poster contest, incorporating this year’s theme, Compost—The Soil and Water Connection.

The contest runs September 1 through November 14, 2015 and is open to anyone who wishes to share their artistic interpretation of compost and its ties to soil health. The winning poster will serve as the 2016 International Compost Awareness Week promotion and be distributed to more than 1,000 US Composting Council members, state recycling offices and non- profit organizations nationwide.

The Annual Poster Contest, which is featured in International Compost Awareness Week posters and promotions across North America each year (May 1-7, 2016) is open for entry: Child, Youth and Adult categories.

For more information, visit:  Rules & Regulations

Wyland “Water is Life” Mural and Art Challenge

Educational leaders and teachers take part in the 2015 Wyland National ‘Water is Life” Mural and Art Challenge Sept.25 – Nov. 25. Sign up before Aug. 15 to win 1 of 100 free mural canvases for your classroom to participate in a nationwide environmental mural and individual art contest celebrating our ocean, lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. This year’s theme will be “Our Coasts and Climate.”
2015 Mural Art Contest:categories include grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. The class in each category whose mural best expresses their understanding of and appreciation for “Our Coast and Climate” will receive a $250 gift card to Michael’s for art supplies and a grand prize signed Wyland artwork (Total ARV. $1,000) Schools may register multiple classes. Note: To qualify for entry each participating mural must be accompanied by no fewer than 5 individual concept entries into the individual contest.
2015 Individual Art Contest: categories include all grades K-12. The student in each grade category whose artwork best expresses the “Our Coast and Climate” theme will receive a gift certificate for art supplies.

Deadline to submit murals and individual art is Nov. 25, 2015
Official Classroom Mural and Art Challenge Rules

Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant Program

Lowe’s will donate up to $5 million to public schools and public school parent teacher groups – at as many as 1,000 different public schools per school year. Click here to see if you are eligible!

Raise up to $5,000 for your school in minutes.  It’s almost that easy when you take advantage of Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program. Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) knows how hard you work for your kids and your community and we’re dedicated to helping your parent-teacher group achieve even more for your school. Apply for our Toolbox for Education Grant now and build on your already impressive parent group success with Lowe’s.

Now in its 10th year of helping build better schools and communities, the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program has provided over $42 million to more than 9,600 schools across the country.
Imagine what you could do for your school – Increase parent involvement? Build stronger community spirit? Create a new school tradition? The ideas are endless. Whatever goals and dreams you have for your school, we can help you fulfill them!

For more than 65 years, Lowe’s has supported the communities we call home. At a time when schools and community groups are struggling to support the basic needs of their communities, the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation recognizes the importance of financial support.  This year, as a foundation, we are challenging ourselves to seek ways to provide the tools that help our educators and parent groups through today’s challenging times efficiently, while providing the greatest impact, with basic necessities taking priority.  Please keep this focus in mind as you apply for a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education® grant in the 2015-2016 academic year. Thank you.
Fall 2015 Cycle

The Fall 2015 cycle is now open. The deadline for submitting applications for this grant cycle is October 16, 2015 11:59pm EST. If 1500 applications are received, Lowe’s reserves the right to close the cycle. If that happens, the ‘Apply Now’ button will no longer appear on the website.
To get started, click on the “How to Apply” link at the top of this page. Fall 2015 cycle applicants will be notified via email as to the status of their grant application in January 2016.

Lowe’s Commitment to the Community:  Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program is funded by the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, which has supported thousands of grassroots community and school projects in the communities where Lowe’s does business. Learn More.

 $$$$$$$$$$ Other School Grant Opportunities  $$$$$$$$$$

(Collected from NWF Eco-Schools Newsletter – August, 2015)
http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Newsletter.aspx?s_email_id=20150819_ECO_ENG_Educators|#schoolyardhabitats

DonorsChoose.org – Can list on site up to 4 months
http://www.donorschoose.org/about
Helps classrooms and students in need

EcoMaine Grants for School Recycling – Due October 31
http://www.ecomaine.org/tours-and-educational-outreach/2015-recycling-in-education-grants/
For schools in towns served by or affiliated with EcoMaine: applications open now for grants up to $5,000

We got this lead from Risi – Daily News – August 20, 2015

Chemistry researcher develops ‘drinkable book’ using filter paper to clean dirty drinking water

[From the web]
MONTREAL, Aug 19, 2015 (Local News) – When looking for a solution to providing developing countries with clean drinking water, Teri Dankovich may have found the answer in a book.

The American chemistry researcher has helped develop a book whose pages can be torn out to be used as water filters. She calls it The Drinkable Book.

Dankovich says she came up with the idea while doing graduate work in Montreal.
(For the full story, go to: CTV News – ‘Drinkable Book’ aims to turn the page on dirty drinking water )

RISI is not responsible for the reliability or availability of content on external websites.

September 8, 2015 – from Plastic News – http://www.plasticsnews.com/

Plastic bags, backpacks and solar power

Steve Toloken
BRICS & Plastics

Here’s a story highlighting some real business creativity: a group of South African entrepreneurs taking plastic bags and refashioning them into solar powered backpacks designed to give children light to study with.
Rethaka (Pty) Ltd., in Rustenburg, South Africa, collects the plastic bags and take them to its small factory, where they’re cleaned and turned into a textile-like material.

Then it sews the material into backpacks, and adds a small, removable solar charger, which collects power as the kids walk home.
The chargers can be easily removed and screwed onto lamps made from mason jars. They then provide six to nine hours of light, crucial for studying if the kids are among the 1.3 billion people worldwide without regular access to electricity.

Rethaka (Pty) Ltd. The Repurpose Schoolbag is made from recycled plastic shopping bags and includes a solar charger.

It’s the brainchild of 22-year-old CEO Thato Kgatlhanye, who started it with some of her classmates in university in Johannesburg. According to this Forbes article, Kgatlhanye got the idea after noticing a lot of kids carrying their schoolbooks in plastic bags.

Someone else suggested adding a charger, and after a lot of tinkering and $50,000 in seed money, the Repurpose Schoolbag was born.

The for-profit company’s website says the backpacks are “made 100 percent from plastic shopping bags” and have a couple of benefits to society: they reduce plastic pollution, and they reduce the use of kerosene lanterns, which can be dangerous, inefficient and polluting.
A video (just below) from the AFKInsider Africa business news site taking a look at Rethaka’s operation and manufacturing process.

Rethaka (Pty) Ltd. Kgatlhanye

The backpacks are stylish, in my opinion. Kgatlhanye worked with an industrial designer to also make them durable, and says the company is branching into tote bags, messenger bags and other products.
Rethaka began as a social enterprise. Today it has 17 employees. It’s not one of the more traditional plastic companies we write about but it’s an example of creatively tackling society’s waste, in this case plastic, and turning it into something useful.

Rethaka began as a social enterprise. Today it has 17 employees. It’s not one of the more traditional plastic companies we write about but it’s an example of creatively tackling society’s waste, in this case plastic, and turning it into something useful.

Video Link: http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20150908/BLOG03/150909957/plastic-bags-backpacks-and-solar-power#utm_medium=email&utm_source=pn-sustain&utm_campaign=pn-sustain-20150910&email_sustain

 Update on The Ocean Cleanup project . . .

THE OCEAN CLEANUP PREPARES FOR 2020 PACIFIC CLEANUP, SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES MEGA EXPEDITION RECONAISSANCE MISSION

August 23, 2015 – The Ocean Cleanup successfully concluded the Mega Expedition with the arrival of a first group of vessels including the fleet’s 171ft mothership in the port of San Francisco today. Using a series of measurement techniques, including trawls and aerial surveys, the fleet of close to 30 vessels sampled the concentration of plastic during its month-long voyage through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is in preparation for the large-scale cleanup of the area, set to begin in 2020.
The Mega Expedition’s primary goal is to accurately determine how much plastic is floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, by executing the largest ocean research expedition in history. This was also the first time large pieces of plastic, such as ghost nets and Japanese tsunami debris, have been quantified.
“I’ve studied plastic in all the world’s oceans, but never seen any area as polluted as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” said Dr. Julia Reisser, Lead Oceanographer at The Ocean Cleanup. “With every trawl we completed, thousands of miles from land, we just found lots and lots of plastic.”
Although the samples collected during the expedition still have to be analyzed, preliminary findings indicate a higher-than-expected volume of large plastic objects floating in the ocean. This underscores the urgency of The Ocean Cleanup’s mission to clean it up, according to CEO and founder Boyan Slat: “The vast majority of the plastic in the garbage patch is currently locked up in large pieces of debris, but UV light is breaking it down into much more dangerous microplastics, vastly increasing the amount of microplastics over the next few decades if we don’t clean it up. It really is a ticking time bomb.”
During today’s press conference, Boyan announced that The Ocean Cleanup was able to conduct the Mega Expedition thanks to major financial contributions from entrepreneur-philanthropists, including Salesforce chairman, CEO and founder Marc Benioff: “Protecting the oceans should be a priority for all of Earth’s citizens. The Ocean Cleanup is taking an innovative approach to preserving one of our most critical resources and raising visibility of this global challenge.”
For more information, go to The Ocean Cleanup site.

Speaking of Oceans . . .

From Waste360
Jul 1, 2011

‘Washed Ashore’: Art Exhibit Uses Ocean Trash to Depict Sealife and Raise Awareness

Gyre

Artist and educator Angela Haseltine Pozzi, creator of the ‘Washed Ashore’ project.
A menagerie of sea creatures made of (mostly plastic) trash washed on shore aims to educate the public about how our excessive use of plastic endangers the environment.
To view all the artwork, click here: http://waste360.com/recycling/washed-ashore-art-exhibit-uses-ocean-trash-depict-sealife-and-raise-awareness#slide-0-field_images-20141

“Henry the Giant Fish,” one of several trash-comprised art pieces in the Washed Ashore project. Images courtesy of the Artula Institute for Arts Education.

Turning Trash into Skateboards

Apr 9, 2015
Waste360 Staff
Fifteen artists were asked by Do the Green Thing and World Wildlife Fund-UK to recycle common materials in creative ways to show how people can live a greener lifestyle. Artist Mac Premo and carpenter Don Sanford combined to create skateboard decks entirely out of material fished out of the garbage.

For the whole story, go to:
http://waste360.com/plastics/turning-trash-skateboards?NL=WST-03&Issue=WST-03_20150410_WST-03_543&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_4_b&utm_rid=CPEQW000001129998&utm_campaign=3461&utm_medium=email#slide-0-field_images-187221
Here’s the link to bucket board video
http://www.thebucketboard.org/

 10 Snaphots from NPE’s Zero Waste Fashion Show

Mar 26, 2015
Waste360 Staff

At the plastics industry’s big trade show, NPE 2015, the show’s owner, the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), partnered with the Savannah College of Art and Design to hold a fashion show of garments created out of recycled or reused or plastics. The Pursuing Zero Waste Fashion Show kicked off the huge trade show that took place March 23-27 in Orlando, Fla.

For all the snapshots, go to:  http://waste360.com/plastics/10-snaphots-npes-zero-waste-fashion-show#slide-0-field_images-185311

From Waste 360
April 30, 2015

9 Sculptures Molded From Recycled Tires by Mick Davis

A year ago Irish sculptor Mick Davis began using recycled tires as a medium. A big part of his motivation was his concern for the environment.

Tires are one of the great recycling success stories of the past 25 years. In 2013, markets were found for almost 96 percent of the 233 million tires generated. That compares with 17 percent in 1990, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association. More than half the scrap tires that were reused went for tire-derived fuel (129 million).

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Dog Days

For the full article and all the pictures, go to 9 Sculptures.

From our friends at National Wildlife Federation, here are some fun Fall Activities!

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EPA & NHDES NEWS

 Earth Science Week with NASA

Earth Science Week is October 11-17, 2015. This year’s theme is “Visualizing Earth Systems.” As part of Earth Science Week, NASA bloggers will take readers through some tough science questions being asked and explain how visualizations are helping answer these questions.

This year’s lineup of blog writers includes experienced NASA visualizers, scientists, and educators. All will discuss their relationship with “Visualizing Earth Systems” as part of their work. Look for new posts and videos now through Earth Science Week at https://esw.climate.nasa.gov/.

 Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

Ever wonder how much of your daily activity – such as using electricity, driving a car, or disposing of waste – results in greenhouse gas emissions? Together, these emissions make up your carbon footprint. EPA’s updated carbon footprint calculator estimates your household’s footprint in three main areas: home energy, transportation and waste. Everyone’s carbon footprint is different depending on location, habits, and personal choices. Small energy saving actions and other carbon reducing choices can add up and decrease your impact to the environment.

Calculate your footprint and learn new ways to reduce your impact here. http://go.usa.gov/37Mbm

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ACTIVITY

Awesome Autumn Leaf Rubbing Mural

Awesome Autumn Leaf Rubbing Mural This image courtesy of filthwizardry.com

We found this at our favorite AllFreeKidsCrafts.com site:

By: Lindsey from Filth Wizardry
2012-10-22 16:24:30
Guests will just fall for your Awesome Autumn Leaf Rubbing Mural. You will have a blast searching for the perfect leaves outside, or in your craft store! This craft for Thanksgiving will decorate your home for months, so go ahead and start rubbing now. You get to use crayons and watercolor paint for this great project. After you’ve finished rubbing the leaves, you’ll have to rub your eyes and pinch yourself to realize that you made this fantastic mural.

Materials: Paper Crafts, Nature Crafts, Painting & Coloring
Age Group: Toddlers, Preschool & Kindergarten, Elementary School, Pre-Teens, Teens
Time to complete: In a day

Click Here for Kids’ Craft Project

We found this at Crafty Kid Creations from AllFreeKidsCrafts <[email protected]>

October 5, 2011 by Lucy
Link: http://www.craftberrybush.com/2011/10/amaizing-candy-corn-favors.html

A’maiz’ing candy corn favors…

1. Paint paper towel roll with two different shades of green
2. Cut in half
3. Cut a tear shape opening in the middle
4. I painted a bit of the inside

5. This part is optional – stand up the candy corn on a piece of plastic wrap or you can just place them as you wish. I decided to stand them up so the yellow would face out and therefore look more realistic.
6. Wrap them up tightly and tie with some raffia
7. Tie several strands of raffia around the top
8. Tape around the bottom of the raffia so they stay close together

9. Scallop the top of the paper towel and place candy corn bag inside.
10. Scallop a small piece of paper towel roll, cut in the centre and open it up.
11. Tightly squeeze top of paper towel roll and tie with a piece of raffia
12. With a glue gun, glue the smaller piece of paper roll to the other paper roll. This will add volume and hide the raffia.

This picture better depicts the last step. Notice how I squeezed and glued the top of the corn to give it shape. I also glued the bottom of the roll (not pictured)

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GREEN CALENDAR

11/05/15 – Y.E.S. Summit –  The Vermont Youth Environmental Summit for grades 7-12 will be held at the Barre Civic Center in Barre, Vermont. To learn more and register, link to www.uvm.edu/extension/teenleadership and select “Programs.”

11/10/15 – NH Farm to School Conference – Meredith, NH.

11/15/15 – America Recycles Day – An initiative of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), America Recycles Day is the only nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S. For ideas, contact www.americarecyclesday.org.

03/22/16 – World Water Day – To plan your event,  visit www.unwater.org.

04/22/16 – Earth Day – To plan your event, see future newsletters and visit www.earthday.org.

04/29/16 – Arbor Day – To plan your event,  visit www.arborday.org.

05/17/16 – NRRA School CLUB Conference – Come join us in celebrating NRRA’s 35th Anniversary! Details coming in future newsletters.  

06/05/16 – World Environment Day – To plan your event,  visit www.unep.org.

06/08/16 – World Oceans Day – To plan your event,  visit www.worldoceansday.org.

 Happy Halloween Everyone and Don’t Forget to Compost!

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WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL CLUB UP TO? The NRRA School CLUB always loves to hear what its members and other schools are doing to recycle and help the environment so we can share it through our newsletter. There are so many different things being done, and you are our best source of information about what is working in your school. It can be a new program, a long-term project that’s been proven over time, a field trip, etc. Always feel free to contact me or submit something and you may see it in the next School News You Can Use! – Gwen Erley,  [email protected] 1.603.736.4401 ext 19