A group of artists in South Africa collect aluminum cans, bottle caps, plastic bottles, bits of wire, and other refuse to create functional toys like cars and radios as well as souvenirs like decorative flowers and pens. Challenge your students to make a toy out of trash. For the best results, structure it as a take-home assignment that they can work on with a parent. By having the children work independently from one another, you’ll end up with a wider variety of projects. At the end, talk about what types of trash your students used and what they made with their trash.