For more than two decades, Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) has proudly offered its 4Rs Field Trip for third graders. Students arrive at CVSan offices where they learn about the 4Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot), how to properly sort solid waste, as well as how to make their own recycled paper! This fun-filled 2-hour field trip is offered free to Castro Valley schools. Free bus transportation may be coordinated with all schools.
Starting in the Fall of 2021 and ending in the Fall of 2022, CVSan offered Virtual 4Rs Field Trips. These field trips were condensed to a 30-minute version and are held virtually over Zoom by CVSan to whole classrooms. The virtual field trips immersed students in the concepts of reduce, reuse, recycle, rot (composting), material composition, green design, and Bay-Friendly Landscaping. Students also get to play a sorting trivia game in Kahoot!, do the 4Rs Dance, and take a quick virtual tour of the CVSan office.
In the Fall of 2023, CVSan offered on-campus 4Rs Field Trips. These field trips were a 60-minute version held in school multi-purpose rooms with one-to-four classrooms participating at one time. Once again, the field trips immersed the students in the concepts of reduce, reuse, recycle, rot (composting), material composition, green design, and Bay-Friendly Landscaping. Students also got to play a hands-on sorting game with clean and safe materials and small desk-side recycling, organics, and garbage bins. Student watched The 4Rs with CVSan’s Zero Waste Friends movie, did the 4Rs Dance, and took a quick virtual tour of the CVSan office.
Due to its educational value, the 4Rs Field Trip is an integral component of CVSan’s Green Ribbon Schools Program.
Registration
See below for links to the pre- and post-field trip lessons as well as a class roster sheet.
Lesson Plans
CVSan Content Standards Correlations
CVSan Pre/Post Field Trip Lesson Plans and Activities
Lesson 1: Pre- Field Trip: What Are Natural Resources?
Lesson 2: Pre- Field Trip: People Use Natural Resources
Lesson 3: Post- Field Trip: Reducing the Amount of Plastic That Goes to a Landfill
Trash and Resource Facts
Class Roster Sheet for use on the day of the field trip.
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