The Earth is home to every plant, animal and person, and even small children can help look after it. At Recycle Reef, Year 1 scientists learn where litter belongs, why we save water and electricity, and what reduce, reuse and recycle mean.
What your child will learn
- Know that litter belongs in a bin and can harm animals
- Name ways to save water and electricity at home
- Explain reduce, reuse and recycle in simple words
- Know which everyday things can be recycled
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Reduce means using less — turning off the tap, or taking only the paper you need. Reuse means using something again, like a cloth bag or a jar for pencils. Recycle means sending paper, plastic, glass and cans to be made into new things.
Why litter matters
Litter doesn’t disappear. Wind and rain carry it into rivers and the sea, where turtles, birds and fish can mistake it for food or get tangled in it. Plastic can last for hundreds of years.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Where should litter go?
🗑️- In a bin
- On the ground
- In a river
- Under a bush
Show answer
Answer: In a bin. Litter belongs in a bin, so it can’t hurt animals or spoil our world.
2. What does recycling mean?
♻️- Making old things into new things
- Burying toys
- Throwing things in the sea
- Buying more things
Show answer
Answer: Making old things into new things. Recycling turns used paper, plastic, glass and metal into something new.
3. What should you do with the tap while you brush your teeth?
🚰- Turn it on full
- Leave it running
- Turn it off
- Take it apart
Show answer
Answer: Turn it off. Turning off the tap saves lots of clean water.
Tips for grown-ups
- Sort the family recycling together and talk about what each thing is made of.
- Choose one “switch-off” job your child is in charge of, like the bathroom light.
- Turn a cereal box or jar into something new instead of throwing it away.