HANDS ON SCIENCE ACTIVITY
RECYCLE MOBILE

Printouts of the recyclable materials from this web site, construction paper or card stock, crayon or markers, scissors, glue, yarn or heavy string, hole punch

There are numerous ways to construct a mobile. This is a very simple version which takes the guesswork out of making certain the mobile will be balanced.

• Precut six construction paper circles per student, each of diameter 10-12 cm. (Using the die cut machine at your school or district office will save time.) Cutting squares of the same size is also an alternative, or use a combination of the two shapes.

• Print the pictures of the recyclables for the students to color and cut out. Allow the students to select six construction paper circles or squares in the colors of their choice.

• Three of the circle or squares will need a hole punched at the top and the bottom and three of them will require a hole punched at the top only.

• The students can now paste the recyclables they have colored and cut out on both sides of the paper circles or squares. They can use different recyclables on each side, or the same design on each side, but they should have a variety.

• Precut the yarn or heavy string for each student in the following lengths: one piece of approximately 80 cm and four pieces of approximately 20 cm or longer. Make certain that these four pieces are the same length.

• The 80 cm piece will require a loop tied at one end so that the mobile can be suspended from the ceiling.

• As with all other components of the mobile, the top design from which the other components will hang will need to be printed, colored by the students and pasted to construction paper or card stock. Note that the locations for hole punching are indicated in the diagram by the black dots. Continue to construct as the diagram illustrates.