Three R's!

Reduce!  Reuse! Recycle!

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." --John Wooden

The Lunchers were excited! Today they were visiting the Montgomery County Recycling Center. They are ready to learn how to recycle.

What can be recycled? The Lunchers learned that paper,cardboard, plastic, metal cans, and glass are recycled by Montgomery County. Yard waste can also be recycled and turned into mulch.

All number 1,2,3,4,5 and 7 plastics should be put into the blue bins. 

What's doesn't go in? Number 6!

The Recycling Center has many machines. There are shakers and conveyor belts as well as strong magnets. Each machine has a special separating job to do.

 One belt has holes this big! 

Keep the tops on all bottles so the lids do not fall into those holes!

Yes or No? Should we recycle this?

There is free mulch for your yard, too!

Wear green ear plugs and climb the cat walk to check out all the "moving parts" as the materials get sorted and packed.

Unsorted materials arrive by truck and travel conveyor belts to sorting stations. No plastic bags allowed! (Take those back to the grocery store!)

After sorting, materials are separated by groups--plastic, glass or metal.

The plastics are sorted and baled.

Magnets snatch the steel cans right off the belts!

Aluminum cans are sorted and baled.

Front loaders stack all the paper and cardboard.

Recycling trucks  deliver more and more materials. This is a busy place!

Even paper is baled!

All the machines are moving! They are noisy!

It is an amazing production! 

Recycling is important. Many things we use can be saved and reused in different ways. Recycling helps us take care of our Planet Earth. We need to have clean air and water to live healthy lives--and so do all people. After seeing so many things being recycling, we decided we should also work on reducing how much and what we use. We can buy products that use less packaging. We can use both sides of our papers. Montessori celebrates Earth Day every day! What else can you do?

"I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art anybody could ever want."

                                                                                                  --Andy Warhol

Birding with the Owls

The Owls participated in an Audubon program called "Birds of a Feather" on April 6th.

All birds have feathers.

Flight feathers come in all sizes. They are stiff, but hollow.

Birds also have down feathers to help them stay warm.

Birds lay eggs.

Eggs are different sizes and colors. We found a robin egg!

This is a robin's nest. It is made with twigs, grass, mud, and even a piece of plastic bag!

Try to make a nest using only your beak!

Our nest is finished--but it is not as warm and cozy as a robin's. You could call a nest a crib since it is the place where birds care for their eggs and fledglings.

Can you flap your wings like a crow--20 flaps per 10 seconds?

Can you flap like a hummingbird--700 flaps per 10 seconds? That's a challenge!

Can you fly in a flock?  It takes teamwork!

Here is our perch. In the fall birds migrate to find warmer weather and more food. They come back to Bethesda each spring.

Migration Headache! Sometimes habitats are destroyed to build malls, parking garages, and houses. That means not every bird will find a home!

Off to look for new forest homes!

Thanks for teaching us about birds, Audubon!

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."  --Benjamin Franklin