Getting started with recycling at a young age has been a philosophy of Sheri Rhodes, Shawnee Early Childhood Center teacher, for about five years.
The pre-kindergarten teacher began a recycling program at the school, which now has grown to include everything from paper to hair.
“Sometimes when our kids walk by, they see a plastic bottle in the trash can,” Rhodes said. “They say, ‘You can recycle that.’ They learn at an early age to look at the triangle and look for the No. 1 or No. 2 plastics.”
Those plastics are the ones that can be recycled in Shawnee, she said. So far, the No. 5s and No. 6s cannot be recycled.
That same idea has been passed on to the students, who take it home to their parents and neighbors.
Parents Tesia Kieffer and Julie Fields both have children at the childhood center and have been encouraged to recycle because of their children, they said.
On Friday, Tesia’s daughter Isabella and Julie’s daughter Avery helped out by taking recycled paper to the bin behind the school.
Kieffer, a mother of three, said she enjoys seeing her children encourage her to recycle.
“My son, he’s really into it,” she said. “He’ll ask, ‘When are we going to take this.’ I’m happy that he pays attention and then we hit dad up — ‘When are we going to haul it off.’”
Fields, a mother of four, gives her children jobs of what to recycle at home. Two of Fields’ children have gone through the center, and she says her children have really taken off with the idea of recycling.
“They will stop you just like a police officer and say ‘no,’” Fields said. “They stop neighbors and friends; they’re very aware. I love it that they can think about recycling. They can kind of go ‘What can we do now?’”
Fields said her 4-year-old believes if she recycles, it will help “save Tinkerbell’s forest.”
“I think that when they start here, they carry it home,” Fields said. “They think they can change adults. Every little bit can help. It doesn’t really take that much. It can make a real difference.”
Rhodes said she started the program, “just to start teaching kids at an early age to start recycling.”
Once recycling becomes a habit, the idea catches on, she said.
Each classroom at the SECC has a box for recycled paper and a recycling bin that sits behind the building.
“I think it has worked,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes’ idea has even carried over to her neighbors, who bring her newspaper sleeves and rubber bands, which she takes to recycle.
“We recycle absolutely everything that can be recycled,” Rhodes said. “It doesn’t take that much time.”
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Josh Burton may be reached at 214-3926.
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Getting started with recycling at a young age has been a philosophy of Sheri Rhodes, Shawnee Early Childhood Center teacher, for about five years.
The pre-kindergarten teacher began a recycling program at the school, which now has grown to include everything from paper to hair.
“Sometimes when our kids walk by, they see a plastic bottle in the trash can,” Rhodes said. “They say, ‘You can recycle that.’ They learn at an early age to look at the triangle and look for the No. 1 or No. 2 plastics.”
Those plastics are the ones that can be recycled in Shawnee, she said. So far, the No. 5s and No. 6s cannot be recycled.
That same idea has been passed on to the students, who take it home to their parents and neighbors.
Parents Tesia Kieffer and Julie Fields both have children at the childhood center and have been encouraged to recycle because of their children, they said.
On Friday, Tesia’s daughter Isabella and Julie’s daughter Avery helped out by taking recycled paper to the bin behind the school.
Kieffer, a mother of three, said she enjoys seeing her children encourage her to recycle.
“My son, he’s really into it,” she said. “He’ll ask, ‘When are we going to take this.’ I’m happy that he pays attention and then we hit dad up — ‘When are we going to haul it off.’”
Fields, a mother of four, gives her children jobs of what to recycle at home. Two of Fields’ children have gone through the center, and she says her children have really taken off with the idea of recycling.
“They will stop you just like a police officer and say ‘no,’” Fields said. “They stop neighbors and friends; they’re very aware. I love it that they can think about recycling. They can kind of go ‘What can we do now?’”
Fields said her 4-year-old believes if she recycles, it will help “save Tinkerbell’s forest.”
“I think that when they start here, they carry it home,” Fields said. “They think they can change adults. Every little bit can help. It doesn’t really take that much. It can make a real difference.”
Rhodes said she started the program, “just to start teaching kids at an early age to start recycling.”
Once recycling becomes a habit, the idea catches on, she said.
Each classroom at the SECC has a box for recycled paper and a recycling bin that sits behind the building.
“I think it has worked,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes’ idea has even carried over to her neighbors, who bring her newspaper sleeves and rubber bands, which she takes to recycle.
“We recycle absolutely everything that can be recycled,” Rhodes said. “It doesn’t take that much time.”
———
Josh Burton may be reached at 214-3926.
