Garbage truck preschool activities

Garbage Truck Activities for Kids

by Andie Jayeupdated on December 20, 2020January 28, 20135 Comments on Garbage Truck Activities for Kids

This post may contain Affiliate links. More information here.

Bear loves everything garbage trucks!  When they come thundering up the street, he goes tearing off to the window to catch a glimpse of them.  So what better theme than garbage trucks for me to plan learning activities around?

For a garbage truck literacy activity, I got out some of our easy word flashcards with pictures on them and our alphabet milk caps.  Using a Little People garbage man and a toy garbage truck, we set to work.  Bear’s “job” was to help “Mario” {the trash man} to load up the letters that matched the word on the card into the trash truck.

I set out the milk caps needed to spell the word along with a few others.  And he set to work finding the correct letters.  After he had laid them out in order, I helped him sound out the words.

We also used this same up to do a garbage truck math activity to practice counting.  We used wooden number pieces from a puzzles, colored craft pom poms, and tongs.  This is an extended idea from our math with tongs activity.  Bear chose a number, then dropped the corresponding number of pom poms into the “trash can” {empty fruit cup}.  After he had done that, he helped “Mario” dump it in the back of the garbage truck.

The next activity was a garbage truck color and size sorting activity.  I originally saw this idea on No Time for Flashcards done as a recycling center.  To correspond to our garbage truck theme,  Bear pretended that his Matchbox flatbed was a sanitation truck that delivered trash cans.  All of the various sizes and colors of legos were put off to the side.   Then I pretended to call him and tell him what color houses needed whatever sizes.  He then found the correct color and appropriate size (big, medium, or little) and “delivered” it to the corresponding house.

We also did a garbage bag windsock using a drawstring trash bag.  I laid it out flat and Bear drew on it with permanent markers.  He asked me to draw with him, so we ended up working together.  To turn it into a windsock, I cut the seam on the bottom so it was open.  Then I sliced strips up towards the top.  I think that it turned out really cute!

You can also check out our garbage truck montage video on our new YouTube channel here or here

Andie Jaye

Andie Jaye is a former preschool teacher turned stay-at-home mom of 3 kiddos. Her blog, Do.Play.Learn., (formerly named Crayon Freckles), focuses on creative learning and play ideas, as well as parenting topics. Andie strives to be honest in her approach and experiences in parenting to let other moms know that they are not alone in their struggle. In her free time, she writes children’s books in hopes of publishing someday.

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Large Vehicle Activities for Preschoolers • The Preschool Toolbox Blog

Nov 18, 2018
Fine Motor Skills for Tiny Fingers&middot Literacy&middot Math&middot Transportation Theme Activities

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We have yet to meet a preschooler who isn’t curious about garbage trucks and large vehicles. One of the highlights of our week is garbage pick-up day. Our preschoolers RUN to the windows to watch – we can hear the sounds from our classroom as the kids yell out, “It’s the GARBAGE TRUCK!” Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck by Asia Citro and Troy Cummings is a book filled with fun illustrations as the story explores all the sounds a garbage truck makes on daily adventures. Come read, play, and learn with Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck large vehicle activities for preschoolers at home or in your own classrooms.

Disclosure: this post and others within the blog contain affiliate, distributor, and/or sponsored content and links. Please be sure to visit our updated Privacy Policy and Full Disclosures for additional information.

Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck by Asia Citro and Troy Cummings introduces a delightful array of words for garbage truck sounds. It’s a great book for introducing new words with preschoolers and exploring the various sounds a garbage truck makes on daily adventures. Whether it’s a CLICK, a RATTLE, a WHOOP, a BAM, or a BANG, preschoolers will adore reading and playing with garbage truck and large vehicle activities to extend the story.

Garbage Truck Play Dough Pre-Writing Line Paths for Preschoolers

Materials needed:

• Commercial or Homemade Play Dough (our kids use “trash play dough” – meaning play dough that we’ve accidentally or intentionally mixed together)
• Large Craft Sticks
• Permanent Marker
• Free Garbage Truck Printable Line Paths (page 3) – download and print here: Garbage Truck Pre-Writing Line Paths for Preschoolers

Directions: 

1. Laminate page 3 of the printable Garbage Truck Pre-Writing Line Paths (linked above).
2. Make line paths on craft sticks with a permanent marker (there are some examples of line paths on page 1 and page 2 of the printable file).
3. Make a center or activity tray with all supplies to invite your preschoolers to play.
4. Demonstrate how to roll play dough “worms” between both hands. Rolling long play dough worms can be a fine motor activity by itself until preschoolers gain confidence and skills.
5. Invite your preschooler to choose one craft stick (already labeled with a line path) and re-create the line to get the garbage truck to the trash can (working with left/right directionality).
6. As your preschoolers gain confidence and fine motor skills, they can try following the pre-writing line paths on page 1 and page 2 of the printable file.

Garbage Truck Stamping and Writing Practice for Preschoolers

Read Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck and invite your preschoolers to play with letters and numbers.

Materials needed:

• Alphabet Stamps (Uppercase and/or Lowercase ) and Number Stamps 
• Stamp Pads
• One Blank Die or Cube
• Dry Erase Markers, Crayons, or Ticonderoga Pencils for preschoolers who are ready to write
• Free Printable Garbage Truck Stamping mat or Free Printable Garbage Truck Writing Mat – download and print here: Garbage Truck Letter or Number Stamping or Garbage Truck Letter or Number Writing

Directions:

1. Print the file you wish to use – both are linked above (laminate the printable mat if using dry erase markers).
2. Label a blank die or cube with any letters or numbers your preschoolers have had introduced (or any you are currently working on).
3. Preschoolers should roll the die and write/stamp the letter or number rolled onto a garbage truck (working left to right) until the printable is completed.

Large Vehicle/Stop Light Sensory Bin for Preschoolers

After reading Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck, invite your preschoolers to large vehicles play in a sensory bin full of textures, colors, and (of course) vehicles.

Materials needed:

• Sensory Bin Base – rice/beans/shredded paper
• Red/Green/Yellow PomPoms
• Miniature Vehicles and Signs

Directions:

Make the sensory bin and invite your preschoolers to the carpet to establish “rules” for sensory bin play.

Preschoolers will explore sensory bins politely when all are aware of classroom or homeschool rules for use. If our kids throw beans, stick them in noses, ears, mouths, or dump the bins, we put them away. Often, our preschoolers will ask when they can play with the bin again. We get the bins out and go over rules for polite sensory play.

Preschoolers love to play and it may take a time or two of putting sensory bins away, but your kids will learn appropriate use of classroom materials as you discuss, play (and even put sensory bins away) over the course of a few days. Pushing, dumping, poking, re-arranging vehicles and signs, picking up beans and pom poms promotes sensory awareness through touch. Exploring the different textures, colors, and the feel of different items is a great way to play, but preschoolers build important skills along the way.

Vroom Vroom Large Vehicle and Sounds T-Shirts

If your preschoolers LOVE big trucks, they will also LOVE the Large Vehicles and Sounds T-Shirt after reading Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck by Asia Citro and Troy Cummings. It’s an adorable t-shirt for girls, boys, or even for teachers during Transportation Themes. You can purchase the T’s HERE.

Your preschoolers might also enjoy:

Painting with Toy Cars from Messy Little Monsters

Bubbly Fires Science and Community Helpers

Community Helpers Domino Game Activity from Rainy Day Mum

Transportation Themed Activities for Preschoolers

Firetruck Handprint Craft from The Inspiration Edit

For Exploration and Learning with a Transportation Theme, please see the ready-to-download and use thematic unit here on the blog. It’s filled with math, literacy, science, large motor, dramatic play, and more for hours of playful learning.

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Ecological project for preschool children

Explanatory note

Do you want to save nature and the planet? Start with classes on separate waste collection in kindergarten! It is at the kindergarten age that the behavior patterns of future adults are formed. Therefore, it is especially important to talk about ecology with preschool children. How to make it as interesting and effective as possible, let's find out together. One of the most important skills to teach a child in kindergarten is separate waste collection. Let's consider carrying out the action of separate collection of garbage. The main purpose of the action is to form in the minds of children the careful handling of natural resources, so that children understand the importance of environmental cleanliness in the world and learn how to properly dispose of waste. This action is carried out in tandem with parents, who also need to show the importance of the event. This can be done with the help of information booklets. You can download an example brochure here. How to teach children about the importance of separate waste collection? You can start a conversation from afar, for example, ask: “Guys, tell me, does everyone at your house throw garbage in the trash or does someone throw it right out of the window onto the street?” Such a question will arouse interest in children and add a touch of humor to communication. When you get positive answers that everyone throws garbage in trash cans, ask if preschoolers know the fate of the collected waste. Let them think, let them say where, in their opinion, they can take the garbage. After any answers, explain the information in more detail. It would be better to do this with the help of pictures - this is how preschool children learn information faster. You can create a presentation in advance or use a training film.
Project information card

Project type:

- Group.

- Short term.

Type of project: educational - research.

Project participants: children of the second junior group, educator, music director, physical education instructor, parents of pupils. Age of children: 4-5 years.

Place of implementation: Kindergarten 46.

Project duration: short-term (2 weeks).

Implementation period: October 14-25, 2021.

Relevance of the project

The problem of waste is undoubtedly one of the most important problems of modern society. And one of the effective methods of its solution is the organization of separate collection of waste with their further recycling. It is necessary to instill a culture of separate waste collection from an early age. One of the global environmental problems is environmental pollution. So much garbage has accumulated that if it is not recycled, it will cover the entire planet. What the planet will be like after some time depends on us adults, on the younger generation. It is from preschool age that it is necessary to form awareness of the importance of nature conservation and environmentally sound behavior in the environment. It is necessary to help children understand that it is necessary to protect nature not because it is “our wealth”, but because it is valuable in itself, a person cannot exist without a natural environment, but nature can exist without a person. It is necessary to convey to every child that garbage harms nature, to teach them how to properly handle garbage. Until the end of 2019year, the Moscow region will switch to waste separation, some of which will be recycled, and some will be recycled. It was decided to teach children how to properly sort garbage through project activities. Not superfluous information about the separation of waste will be for the parents of pupils.

Problem:

In recent years, containers for separate collection of waste have appeared in our city: for glass and paper. Watching during a walk how conscious citizens sort household waste, the children of our group had a question: why do people sort waste? Why do we throw garbage into the kindergarten's general trash can, and not into special containers for separate collection? As a result, we came up with the idea of ​​creating a design and research activity.
Purpose:

To create a system of work to introduce preschoolers to the problem of environmental pollution with garbage, focused on interaction with the family and the introduction of modern waste collection practices.

Tasks:

Educational

1. Expand children's knowledge about the sources of waste, their classification and methods of disposal.

2. Create conditions for children to acquire knowledge and skills about the possible recycling of household waste.

3. Continue to develop children's ability to generalize and draw conclusions.

Developing:

1. To develop interest in cognitive experimental research activities.

2. Continue to develop work skills and abilities.

3. To develop the ability to work with various waste materials, to acquaint them with their properties.

Educational:

1. Continue to cultivate respect for the environment.

2. Promote separate waste collection in every family.

3. Strengthen positive parent-child relationships through joint activities.

Cooperation with the family:

1. Consultation "We are friends with nature, we do not need garbage!".

2. Campaign "For separate waste collection".

Products of project :

1. Board game "What is made of what?".

2. Making paper (using waste paper; children).

3 “Children for separate waste collection !" (drawing, children)

4. Exhibition of joint works of children and parents “Let's give things a second life”.

5. Action "Caps of kindness".

6. Waste paper collection "DobroBum".

Expected results:

• Understanding the sources of waste, their classification and methods of disposal;
• Knowledge of separate waste collection;
• Availability of knowledge and skills of the possibility of recycling household waste;
• Participation of pupils in propaganda and educational activities;
• Attracting the attention of the population (children and parents (legal representatives) to the problem of waste disposal.

Project product:

Action plan

Educational area	Activities for children	Joint activities in progress
Cognitive development	Experimental	OOD "We sort garbage - we save the planet" Conversations: "What is the danger of garbage", "Is it possible to litter at home and on the street?", "Where to throw the candy wrapper. " Viewing the presentation "Garbage: how did it appear and where did it go?" “Let's sort the garbage”, “How the wind carries the garbage”. Familiarization with the properties of paper, glass, rubber, plastics
Social and communicative development	Communicative	Conversation: "How to act", "What is good - what is bad." Situational conversation: "Keep cleanliness in the group." Solution to the problem situation: “What happens if we don’t clean up the trash”? Thematic walk: "Clean area of ​​our kindergarten." Observation on a walk behind a garbage truck. Observation while walking at the work of the janitor
	Play	Role-playing games: "Helpers", "Let's teach children and animals to clean" Didactic games: "Collect garbage correctly", "Sorting garbage", "What is superfluous?", "Good-bad", "Collect a picture"
	Labor	Labor assignments: "Help the kids in cleaning the area from debris", "Cleaning the group area", "Cleaning in the group room"
Speech development	Development of speech	Examination of a series of plot pictures "Take care of nature", "Gas removal". Picture conversation.
	Reading fiction	Ecological tales about garbage: “The Tale of the Hlamishcheokayishche”, “The Bunny and the Bear Cub”, “Masha and the Bear”, “No Place for Garbage”
Artistic and aesthetic Development	Productive	Co-production of a caterpillar from the cells of egg trays. Balloons Paper Balloons Nature World Coloring Pages
Physical development	Motor	Outdoor games: "Let's help Katya collect candy wrappers", "Run to the tank", Competition: "Who will quickly collect garbage in buckets" Physical education minute "We are walking around the city"

Application:

Didactic game "We sort garbage" will introduce children to the rules of sorting garbage in a playful way. It is necessary to provide children with an ecological situation: “Friends came for a picnic and left garbage behind. Imagine what would happen if no one cleaned up after themselves. And how much garbage will be in a few years! What can you offer? We have to collect and distribute the garbage.

To play, you will need containers labeled "Paper", "Plastic", "Glass", "Metal", "Food Waste", as well as cards with the image of garbage. Children will determine the type of material, and throw it into the right container.

At the end of the game, it is recommended to ask questions with which the guys will analyze their actions. For example, “What problem did we have and how did we solve it?”, “Why did we put garbage in different containers?” etc.

Parental Advice on Separate Waste Collection

We all know that our planet's resources are finite. And we know that landfills encircle large cities. How to be? How to teach a child to save the earth?

1. Why sort waste at home? Why not build factories that will do it themselves?

Only 5-10% of secondary resources can be isolated and recycled from mixed waste, the rest will go to landfill. You can experiment: take a mixed waste bin, let it stand outside for a day (as if it were an outdoor container), then give it a good shake (as if we were loading the waste into a garbage truck, we take it somewhere and unload it), then put the bucket back and try to get dry paper, whole glass or clean plastic out of it. Most likely, the result will not be very good.

Wet paper stuck together with moldy vegetables cannot be recycled, unlike dry and clean waste paper. Plastic compressed in a personal care garbage truck, batteries lost among vegetable peels, a bag in a food waste bag are no longer recyclable, they will never be recycled.

It's much better to keep the waste from mixing than to mix it up and then try to sort it out.

There are about 2,500 processing enterprises in Russia, of which 432 are in the Moscow region.

Most of the Russian processing enterprises are underutilized - they lack raw materials. It is the separate collection of waste that will make it possible to provide the existing capacities with raw materials, which, in turn, will make it possible to build new processing enterprises.

Children are very receptive to stories about how we can help protect the Earth.

Don't try to get rid of all the waste in one fell swoop, learn all the existing markings in 24 hours and remember the way to all the collection points in your area by the next Saturday. If you are just starting out, it makes sense to practice on a limited list of raw materials, fine-tune the process and develop a habit.

Discuss with your child what you will sort first.

Check which collection points are close to your home - where would you like to donate your raw materials? Click on the marker of the selected item and study what exactly they take there. This will be your initial list of recyclables. When you get comfortable with it, you can gradually add other factions.

Learn about handling recycling.

They may differ slightly from receiver to receiver, but the general rules are:

— the less pollution, the better. At the St. Petersburg actions of "Separate Collection", they ask to thoroughly rinse the raw materials (these are the requirements of the receivers, because not everyone has a sink at the production site). When handing over to stationary containers, the requirements are usually less stringent, but it is still worth pouring out the remaining contents and rinsing the bottle before handing over. The fact is that pollution lowers the quality of raw materials. In addition, it will be much more convenient for you to store clean jars and bottles - they do not smell and do not attract pests.

— the smaller the volume, the better. If the waste is crushed, the container will fill up more slowly and the processor will not have to drive the car (and produce exhaust gases) too often. In your apartment, crumpled raw materials will also take up much less space (plastic bottles and cans are perfectly crushed with your feet).

2. Designate storage space.

Don't immediately buy containers for metal, plastic, paper, and so on—experiment with old boxes or even bags first. The ideal number of containers for you will depend on the layout of the apartment, the composition of the waste, lifestyle, proximity to collection points, etc.

Many people get by with just two containers: one for non-recyclable waste, the second for everything that is recycled.

It is more convenient for others to sort according to the collection point. For example, in one bucket there are plastic bottles, waste paper and glass, which are sent to adjoining containers. In the other - everything that is rented out at the shares of "Separate Collection". Plus a battery bag in the closet and a trash can under the sink.

Containers can be placed anywhere - not only in the kitchen, but also on the balcony, in the closet, in the room, in the hallway (the latter option is especially convenient if you have a container in the yard - you can grab raw materials on your way to work).

3. Hand over raw materials for processing.

The last, most important point. Now your jars (bottles, papers, bags) will not go to the landfill, but will turn into something useful. Hooray!

References:

1. Artemova O. V., Baldina N.A., Vologdina E.V. and others. Big encyclopedia of discoveries and inventions / Scientific-pop. edition for children.-M.: CJSC "ROSMEN-PRESS", 2007.

2. Aksenova Z.F. Enter nature as a friend. Ecological education of preschool children. - Moscow: TC Sphere, 2011. - 128 p. - (Library of the educator).

3. Veraksa N.E., Veraksa A.N. Project activity of preschoolers. Handbook for teachers of preschool institutions. - M.: MOSAIC-SYNTHESIS, 2010. - 112 p.

4. Gorkova L.G. Scenarios for classes on environmental education of preschoolers (middle, senior, preparatory groups) / L.G. Gorkova, A.V. Kochergina, L.A. Obukhov. - Moscow: VAKO, 2005. - 240 p. - (Preschoolers: teach, develop, educate).

5. Kolovska A., Fetkulina A. “About waste”. Methodological materials to help educators. – Moscow: Resource Saving Center, 2019. – 60 s.

6. Fedotova A.M. We learn the world around us by playing: plot-didactic games for preschoolers. - Moscow: TC Sphere, 2015. - 112 p. - (Library of the Educator).

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