Take your students to the local scrap or junkyard where old automobiles go to the priced apart by consumers looking for odd parts. In preparation, you can check out Crashed, Smashed, and Mashed: A Trip to Junkyard Heaven by Joyce Slaton Mitchell and Steven Borns to learn all about why there are junkyards and what happens there. It’s appropriate for ages three to ten. After reading the book, have the class prepare some questions they’d like answered at the junkyard and list specific features they/d like to explore.
At the junkyard, have students pick out some random pieces for making a sculpture for the schoolyard. You can ask for monetary donations from parents prior to the trip or request in advance a donation of scraps from the junkyard owner. Select several prices to bring back to the school. Have the students arrange the materials in different ways to make a sculpture. Use a nontoxic glue or wire to affix the pieces together. You can also ask around to see if someone who knows how to weld can help with the project; welding it will certainly give the most permanence. Select a site on the school property, perhaps in a newly laid school garden, to permanently place the sculpture. You can dig a small hole, fill it with a little concrete, and place the sculpture in it. To give the process a little extra oomph, have a quick dedication ceremony and ask the principal to say a few words and make a commitment to reuse and protect the environment.