Environmental Songbook

Guides for using the song:
Here is supplementary information to go with each verse:

Verse 1. The aluminum in cans is able to be recycled over and over. Aluminum is ground into chips, melted into bars, and then rolled flat. In 1990 65 billion aluminum soda cans were used each year. Think what happens if they aren’t recycled!

Verse 2. We throw out enough glass bottles and jars each month to fill a giant skyscraper.

Verse 3. Does your family and does your school save used paper for scrap and collect it for recycling?

Verse 4. Biodegradable food like lettuce, apple cores, and vegetable peels can be composted to make rich garden soil. Schools, camps, and families can collect lunch scraps for compost in a separate bin.

Verse 5: “The Quarks Song” talks about stardust exploding in a big Super Nova. This was the creation of all the elements which are on Earth. We’re made from these “seeds.”

Movement suggestions for this song.
Verses: Create pantomime motions to match the content of the verses.

You put the can in. Pretend you hold a can in one hand and with other arm create a large canister to put it in.

You put it into the bin. Point to that bin.

You grind it down. One fist on top of the other grinds. And you heat it all around. Position one hand on top of the other, flat with fingers extended, and wave them as if hot.

In a similar manner, act out the other verses. Shape the bottle glass with your hands in verse two. Peel vegetables, then push away the foil in verse three. Tear strips of newspaper in verse four. Move your hands in spirals in verse five.

Chorus:
“You do the Earth Recycle and you turn it all around.”
Thumbs out -- Lead with your thumb out in one direction, then motion the other way with your other thumb. Now both together.

Other options for movement:
For younger children - Roll your arms in a circle.
Or, move like the Hokey Pokey dance turning around while waving your hands.
Clap on the last phrase, “That’s what it’s all about.”