ewww, it's gross, stinky, unsanitary and god only knows what else, but kids can get REALLY proactive about cleaning up trash at the beach or the park.
it is a strangely shocking thing to see a person throw trash out of their car window. hopefully our children's generation will never act this way, what with all the things we teach them about the earth, global warming and blah blah blah.
RULE #1 and ONLY - do not forget the rubber gloves from under your kitchen sink and make everyone wear them!!!
so grab a bag, lots of hand sanitizer and go.
come up with a game to get it done with flair. make up stories about who the people were who dropped these items and why, count the pieces and make a race out of who can get the most into the garbage bag or sing a jaunty rendition of oscar the grouch's I LOVE TRASH.
the lesson: without freaking out the kinder, talk to them about the effects of trash on animals; how a bird could choke on it, a squirrel can't digest paper or plastic. also share with them the pride of taking care of their world.
***added bonus: cleanliness. i'd say that's a bonus.
