About This Lesson
Students will participate in a campus-wide scavenger hunt esc game focused on cleaning up waste represented by fake trash. This activity will teach them about overconsumption, single-use plastics, and sustainable alternatives, while encouraging teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking about everyday waste.
The lesson begins with a brief and engaging presentation that highlights the environmental impact of overconsumption and single-use plastics. Following this, students will take their learning outside to engage in a team-based scavenger hunt designed to reinforce sustainability concepts in an enjoyable and active way.
During this outdoor game, students will team up to address the issues of overconsumption and waste on their campus. After the initial presentation, they will search for cartoon-style trash markers hidden around the area. These fake trash pieces symbolize various types of waste and are assigned different point values based on their environmental impact. The goal is for students to collect as many high-value items as possible and return them to a central “Recycling Center” (a designated area supervised by adults) before time expires.
However, their success is challenged by a few classmates assigned the role of Freeze Taggers, who represent real-world barriers to sustainability, such as pollution-heavy industries or systems that profit from waste. To differentiate them from the rest of the students, they will be called Taggers. The objective of the Taggers is to halt the Collectors (the players gathering trash). If a Tagger touches a Collector carrying trash, that Collector must freeze for 10 seconds and surrender all collected items. The Tagger then gains those items and can deposit them in the Recycling Center for points. The Taggers will work together to prevent the Collectors from reaching their sustainability goals.
At the game's conclusion, we'll tally the points earned by the Collectors versus the Taggers. If the Collectors accumulate more points, they win. This game illustrates that while environmental progress can face challenges, cooperation, awareness, and persistence can lead to meaningful change. After the game, we will regroup for a brief reflection to discuss the types of waste the students encountered.
**Why are we using a game format for this lesson?**
The answer is simple! Games make learning active, engaging, and memorable. Instead of just hearing about concepts like sustainability or waste reduction, students experience them firsthand, which deepens their understanding. Games promote teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving, all while keeping students physically and mentally engaged. When students are having fun, they are more likely to stay focused and retain information. Additionally, games create a safe environment for experimentation, allowing students to make mistakes and try again—just like in real-life situations. By transforming important topics into interactive challenges, games help students build not only knowledge but also empathy, agency, and real-world skills that they will carry with them long after the activity is over.
