Third Graders make a difference through Terra Cycle.

 

Each year the third graders at Zeeland Christian School are faced with a problem. They know that as God’s children they are called to care for God’s creation and that they have a lot of work to do. Instead of focusing on the huge problem, the kids have learned that if they work hard, they can be a part of the solution.

 

They have partnered with TerraCycle, a company that offers free recycling with incentives for nonprofits. By using TerraCycle, they reduce waste and also earn money! The teachers have developed this Project Based Learning unit to coordinate with the Third grade Bible, Science and Social Studies curriculum. Learning about natural resources (renewable and non-renewable) and taking care of God’s creation.

 

What do our third graders do with the incentives they earn? They solve another problem! They give their earnings to their sponsored student at Grace Community Christian School in the Philippines.

 

This past year two students, Noah Adams and Betsy Ysseldyke, met with a local dentist, Dr. Smedley to ask if they could put a collection box in her office for products that can be recycled through Colgate and TerraCycle. She agreed. They sanded, stained and built the collection box. They delivered it to her and continue to check it periodically for collections. How beautiful to see our students have such a positive impact on the community outside of Zeeland Christian!

 

There is a voting contest that with a variety of prizes. Our third Graders hope to win a Meijer gift card which will help to support and improve the program. They also use the gifts cards to buy gifts to send to our sponsored student. This way none of the money has to come from the third-grade families. Voting ends on June 30, and you can vote once each day with each email address.