Education | MAKETHEDROP.CA

Educational Tour

Our research has shown that children and youth have a great deal of influence in their homes with respect to waste generation and disposal. Many of our education events are geared towards these age groups.

Below are some of the activities and tools that our educators use in classroom settings. They are here for you to use free of charge.

We welcome your feedback. Please send your comments and photos of your class learning about the Orange Drop program to orangedrop@stewardshipontario.ca.

On this page you can also find:

Life Cycle Posters of Orange Drop Materials

Life Cycle Posters

These PDF posters show how each material gets recycled through the Orange Drop program and what happens to them if they are thrown in the landfill.

The life cycle of a battery: How we can get new steel and even corn from spent batteries (click on the thumbnail for a larger file)


The life cycle of Paints and Coatings: How we can get new paints from old ones (click on the thumbnail for a larger file)	The life cycle of an Oil Filter: How we can get new oil and metal products from used oil filters (click on the thumbnail for a larger file)

Activity Posters

The following activity posters are what the Orange Drop Education Team presents on our school visits for grades 1-8. A teacher's guide is included in each download so you can also use these on your own.

“Steward-Ship 2011” Grade Levels: 1-4

Group Size: 5-30 Duration: 30-60min

Using this large format colouring poster, students explore the people and their waste from the perspective of the alien spaceship 'Steward-Ship'. Students learn the ways that we are connected to each other and our environment, how waste makes people unique from animals and plants, how to use the BUD system(Buy what you need, Use it all up, Drop off the rest to be recycled) and how Orange Drop can help eliminate waste in our lives. Teacher companion included with download.

“How to be a Good Steward” Grade Levels: 5-8

Group Size: 5-30 Duration: 30-60min

In this visually stimulating 4-page booklet, students explore where paints and batteries come from, the processes involved in manufacturing them and the effects of different ways of disposing of them. Students learn about the BUD system (Buy what you need, Use it all up, Drop off the rest to be recycled) and are introduced to the Orange Drop Program. Teacher companion included with download.

In-class Activities

Each of the following activities includes a description, objectives, a list of materials needed and vocabulary used. A pre-game brainstorm, discussion guide and optional enrichments are also included.

Click on the title or thumbnail to download a pdf of the activity or download all six activities here.

"Stand Up If..." Grade Levels: 1-8

Group Size: Any Duration: 5-10 min

An interactive activity that introduces household hazardous waste (Orange Drop) topics and vocabulary, through questions, answers and actions.

“Dispose of this, right?!” Grade Levels: 1-8
Groups Size: 5-35 Duration: 45 min - 2 hr

Students learn how to properly sort their waste into Blue Box, Green Bin, Orange Drop and the garbage through an active game. As an extension, they also explore and brainstorm the possible impacts of each method of disposal, and can test whether non-toxic alternatives are as effective products as their toxic counterparts.

"What's in a Label?" Grade Levels 6-8

Group Size: 5-50 Duration: v1)10-15 min, v2)20-30min

There are two different ways to do this activity: 1. In small groups, students pass around diagrams of hazardous symbols, decide what they mean and then match them with diagrams of household products. 2. In small groups, students search for diagrams of hazardous products which are hidden around the classroom, and match them with the hazardous symbols hung from the walls.

“Net Impact” Grade Levels 6-12

Groups Size: 30 Duration: 15-30 min

An active game where students collect images of different kinds of waste materials, move through an obstacle course and place images in appropriate containers (Green Bin, Blue Box, Orange Drop bag). The challenge is that Orange Drop materials need to be handled with care, if they aren’t then the team has to complete a special challenge.

“Make The Drop” Grade Levels: 1-6

Group Size: 10-30 Duration: 25 min

“Mix it up” Grade Levels: 1-8

Group Size: 5-30 Duration: 3-10 wks

This activity is a science experiment where students plant seeds and observe the difference between ones that have been exposed to soil contamination (paint) and ones that have not. Students will learn observation and writing skills by recording what they see. They will also learn about what goes into paint and how those materials affect our environment when disposed incorrectly and with the Orange Drop.