A Peek at Packaging

Think back to the last time you went shopping: Did you notice the packing on the items that you bought? Packaging is an often unnoticed part of our every day lives. However, almost everything that we buy comes in some sort of package. Packaging is necessary to protect items, keep them fresh and tamper-free, hold items together and eases the distribution of products. Although in recent years both manufacturers and consumers have become aware of the impact packaging has on our environment, packaging is still one of the biggest waste products in our landfills today. Use Project Learning Tree’s “A Peek at Packaging” to help students investigate the pros and cons of different packaging and learn how to make responsible packaging choices in the future.

Book List

Grades PreK-2
Asimov, I. 1992. Where Does Garbage Go? Gareth Stevens Audio.
Bailey, D. 1991. What We Can Do about Recycling Garbage. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Brimner, L.D. 2003. Trash Trouble. Children's Press.
Chapman, G. and P. Robson. 2007. Making Art with Packaging. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Fuzellier, M. 1994. Rufus Recycles Paper. Child's World, Incorporated.
Gibbons, G. 1996. Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids. Little, Brown Young Readers.
Green, J. 2005. Why Should I Recycle? Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Hare, T. 1991. Recycling. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Harlow, R. 2002. Garbage and Recycling. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Jacobs, F. 1996. Follow That Trash: All about Recycling. Penguin Group.
Leedy, L. 2005. The Great Trash Bash. Holiday House.
Leeper, A. 2004. To a Garbage Dump. Heinemann.
Lepthien, E.U. 1991. Recycling. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Madden, D. 1993. The Wartville Wizard. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
McQueen, K. and D. Fassler. 1991. Let's Talk Trash: The Kids' Book about Recycling. Waterfront Books.
Roca, N. 2007. Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Root, P. and J. Sanford. 1992. The Old Red Rocking Chair. Arcade Publishing.
Testa, F. 2001. Too Much Garbage. North-South Books.
Wheeler, J.C. and S.A. Kallen. 1991. The Food We Eat. ABDO Publishing Company.

Grades 3-5
Amos, J. 1995. Waste and Recycling. Steck-Vaughn.
Anderson, R. and J. Buggey. 1991. Garbage: Understanding Words in Context. Thomson Gale.
Dorion, C. 2007. Earth's Garbage Crisis. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Heilman, J.R. 1992. Tons of Trash: Why You Should Recycle and What Happens when You Do. HarperCollins Publishers.
Kalman, B.D. 1991. Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Kalman, B.D. and J. Schaub. 1991. Buried in Garbage. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Llewellyn, C. 2003. Let's Recycle. Thameside Press.
Love, A. and J. Drake. 2006. Trash Action: A Fresh Look at Garbage. Tundra.
Mandel, L. and H.M. Mandel. 1993. Treasure of Trash: A Recycling Story. Avery Publishing Group, Inc.
McQueen, K. 1991. Let's Talk Trash: The Kids' Book about Recycling. Waterfront Books.
Mitchell, J. 2001. Crashed, Smashed and Mashed: A Trip to Junkyard Heaven. Tricycle Press.
Nelson, S.E. 2006. Let's Reduce Garbage! Capstone Press.
Nielsen, S. 1993. Trash! Trash! Trash! ABDO Publishing Company.
Ostopowich, M. 2003. Science of Waste: Refuse, Misuse, and Reuse. Raintree Publishers.
Romanek, T. 2005. Switched on, Flushed Down, Tossed out: Investigating the Hidden Workings of Your Home. Annick Press, Limited.
Saunders-Smith, G. and K.M. Krebs. 2006. Let's Recycle! Capstone Press.
Schwartz, L. and B. Armstrong. 1990. Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.
Skidmore, S. 1991. What a Load of Trash!: Rescue Your Household Waste. Lerner Publishing Group.
Ward, H. 2001. Tin Forest. Penguin Young Readers Group.
Whyman, K. 2004. Plastics and the Environment. Stargazer Books.
Wilcox, C. 1989. Trash! Sagebrush Education Resources.

Grades 6-8
Becklake, S. 1991. Waste Disposal and Recycling. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Blashfield, J.F. 1991. Recycling. Children's Press.
Boekhoff, P.M. 2004. Recycling. Thomson Gale.
Bowden, R. 2002. Waste, Recycling and Reuse: Our Impact on the Planet. Raintree Publishers.
The Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Foster, J. 1991. Cartons, Cans, and Orange Peels: Where Does Our Garbage Go? Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gutnik, M.J. 1993. Recycling: Learning the Four R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Hadingham, E. 1990. Garbage! Where It Comes from, Where It Goes. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Hall, E.J. 1997. Garbage. Gale Group.
Nardo, D. 1992. Recycling. Thomson Gale.
O’Connor, K. 1989. Garbage. Lucent Books.
Rhatigan, J. and H. Smith. 2003. Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff. Lark.
Schwartz, L. and B. Armstrong. 1990. Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.
Silverstein, A. 1992. Recycling: Meeting the Challenge of the Trash Crisis. Penguin Group.
Smith, H. and J. Rhatigan. 2002. Earth-Friendly Crafts for Kids: 50 Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff. Lark Books.
Stefoff, R. 1991. Recycling. Chelsea House Publishers.
Sullivan, G.E. 1976. How Do They Package It? Westminster John Knox Press.
Woodburn, J. 1993. Garbage and Recycling. Gareth Stevens Audio.

Grades 9-12
Cozic, C.P. 1997. Garbage and Waste. Thomson Gale.
Gay, K. 1991. Garbage and Recycling. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Imhoff, D. and R. Carra. 2005. Paper or Plastic? Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World. Sierra Club Books.
Kimball, D. 1992. Recycling in America: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO, Incorporated.
Rhatigan, J. and H. Smith. 2003. Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff. Lark.
Rogers, H. 2006. Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage. New Press.
Sailer, J. 1993. A Vogt for the Environment. The Book Publishing Company.
Stein, K. 1997. Beyond Recycling: A Re-user's Guide. Clear Light Publishers.
Strong, D.L. 1997. Recycling in America: A Reference Book. ABC-CLIO, Incorporated.
Sullivan, G.E. 1976. How Do They Package It? Westminster John Knox Press.