This term we have been learning lots about our environment and the impacts of plastic pollution.

We started off our topic by going on a plastic hunt in the playground. We recorded all the different types of plastic we found like yoghurt pots, crisps packets, plastic bags, plastic bottles and more:

We then wondered how long these items would stay in the playground if  no one picked them up. This led to us learning about the word ‘biodegradable’. We predicted how long different everyday items would take to biodegrade:

We were shocked to find out that plastic takes 100s of years to completely break down! Then we chose to make a poster or fact file to show off what we had learned so far:

Next we were learning about what happens to our rubbish after it goes into the bin. We identified different items that can be recycled and sequenced what happens to them at the recycling centre.

We were also surprised to learn that if we don’t recycle items then they go to landfill. Then we chose to create a comic book strip describing what happens to glass, paper, tin or plastic:

Then we started to learn about the impact of plastic pollution on animals. We read different books and watched some videos describing how plastic ends up in the ocean. We learned that animals think the plastic is food and get sick or get tangled and trapped in different plastic objects. This made us really sad. We wanted to create some artwork and our own stories about the animals that are affected:

Lastly we went on a litter pick in the playground to help make a change: