Recycle

* Reviews *

There is a lot of talk about recycling and its importance in attaining sustainability, but there has been a need for a guide that explains the why and how of recycling in a way that will get young people excited about what they can do to help create a greener world. Recycle: Green Science Projects for a Sustainable Planet serves this purpose well. It provides essential background information and a series of green science projects that get children actively involved in exploring recycling, and it does this in a way that they makes them enthusiastic participants. Each of the five chapters (Plastics and Recycling, Solid Waste and Decomposition, The Greening of Waste, More Things to Recycle, and What Can YOU Do?) includes an introduction to the topic followed by five or more experiments, demonstrations, and activities. Each of these includes a list of the materials needed, step-by-step procedures, and questions and prompts to help children interpret results. There are also ideas for turning some of these explorations into science fair projects. Safety warnings, including the need for working with an adult where appropriate, are highlighted in orange, bold type. The back matter includes a list of science supply companies and a bibliography of books and Internet resources. Gardeners clear, succinct, and engaging style of writing makes this a book middle grade students can use on their own, but it will also serve well as a reference for teachers for introducing students to recycling., Science Books & Films February 2012