For this year’s Christmas tree, we are going “Eco” and we’d like you to make a decoration for the tree that is made of recycled materials and NO GLITTER.

Bring them in by Tuesday, 26th November to put on your tree near the school office!

Shop bought decorations are often made of plastics and glitter that are bad for our environment. On top of that, making decorations can sometimes mean we go out and buy new paper, card and glitter, which can be wasteful too. Glitter, in particular, is a BIG problem. 

Here’s why:

Despite being sparkly and fun, it’s made of tiny plastic pieces that can hurt the environment. Glitter is mostly made from plastic, and that’s where the problem starts. Once we throw glitter away or wash it off our hands, it doesn’t just disappear.

It goes down the drain, through pipes, and ends up in rivers, oceans, and even inside the animals that live there! These small pieces of plastic are called microplastics, and they’re hard to clean up because they’re so tiny.

When glitter and other plastics reach the ocean, sea animals like fish and turtles mistake it for food. They eat the glitter, but because it’s not real food, it makes them ill. Over time, these tiny pieces of glitter spread all over the world’s oceans, harming the animals and polluting the water. 

And guess what? The glitter problem doesn’t stop with animals. It can even come back to us when we eat fish or seafood that has swallowed microplastics.

So, how can we help? Here are some easy ideas to protect the environment:

Use less glitter: If you have to use it, try to use smaller amounts.

Clean up carefully: Use a damp cloth or tape to collect glitter instead of washing it down the drain.

Try eco-friendly alternatives: You can use colourful paper, confetti, or even coloured sand to make your art projects sparkle without harming the planet. This is what we would like you to do for your decorations.

Even though glitter is small, when we use a lot of it, the effect adds up. If we all work together and make small changes, like using less glitter, we can help keep our oceans and the animals that live there safe. Every little action we take makes a big difference!

Let’s all do our part to protect our world by being more thoughtful about what we use! 

Here are some suggestions for decorations using recycled materials:

>Cereal box snowflakes

>Origami stars made from old wrapping paper

>Stuffed Father Christmas made from socks and cotton wool.

>Salt dough stars

>Dehydrated orange slices 

So bring your decorations in by Tuesday next week and give them to your form teacher and let’s look after our planet by having an Eco Christmas!

REMEMBER: Use recycled/upcycled materials and NO GLITTER!