Educational Resources - Henrico County, Virginia

Keep Henrico Beautiful (KHB) provides litter/recycling themed resources, and in-class presentations to Henrico County teachers. Teachers, please contact us with your requests.

Teacher Resources

image of the cover of the Keep Henrico Beautiful Environmental Activity Book. The cover depicts three children playing with a dog and cat in a park

Children’s Environmental Activity Book
Targeted toward the younger grades this activity book educates our youngest citizens on environmental stewardship opportunities in Henrico, County.

Other Education Programs

photo of an orange safety vest, litter grabber, plastic gloves, and a trash bag sitting on green grass

School Yard Litter (Grades 3-5)

A great service project for Environmental Clubs. After a discussion with the Keep Henrico Beautiful educator about litter and pick up safety, students take the vests, gloves and grabbers provided to clean up a predetermined area in the school yard. A debriefing about what was found and what the students learned complete the program.

photo of a stack of stickers with a cartoon raccoon sitting in a recycling bin with a text bubble that says Scrappy says: Keep Henrico Beautiful!

Sticker Contest (Grades 9-12)

For high school art classes. Students design a sticker for the Keep Henrico Beautiful program. Designs convey an anti-litter or recycling message. The winning sticker will be printed as the official 2025 KHB sticker and will be used during elementary school programs and public events. The artist will receive copies of their sticker, an award letter, have their design featured on KHB’s social media pages, and receive several KHB themed gifts.

In-Class Presentations

photo of several children's' hands holding strings of beads in a circle over a wooden table

The Amazing Journey: Recycling Adaptation (grades 3-5)

SOL Correlations: 3.7, 3.8, 4.8, 5.9

Students will simulate the movement of a beverage container around the recycling loop and record their journey with a collection of different colored beads. Finally, students view scenes of a MRF (Material Recovery Facility) to see what really happens to their recycling.

photo of a green box with a swirling recycling symbol, a newspaper, and a soup can sitting on a white table

The Green Machine: The Magic Recycling Bin (grades Pre K-K)

SOL Correlations: K.11

Students watch as recyclable items go in the bin and new products come out. To conclude, the KHB Educator reads The Day the Trash Came Out to Play by David. M Beedle.

photo of a man and a woman cleaning up a pile of litter in the grass alongside a river

Who Polluted the River? (grades 1-3)

SOL Correlations: 1.8, 3.6, 3.8

This program engages students in an interactive story to learn how, as human populations have grown and land uses have changed, many of our rivers have become polluted.

an aerial photo of a river branching through a forested area

Our Place in the Watershed (grades 4-5)

SOL Correlations: 4.9, 5 SOL Review, 6.8

Designed especially for 4th grade students. It can also be presented to 5th graders as they prepare for SOLs. It explores the importance of Henrico County’s watersheds and how to protect them. The program includes finding the school’s watershed address and discussing issues that endanger our watersheds.

photo of five children sitting on a blue carpet

Story Time (Pre-K)

Students are introduced to recycling and litter prevention with one of three charming stories: The Day the Trash Came Out to Play by David M. Beedle, Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel, or All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper. A Keep Henrico Beautiful educator will share your choice in a 20-minute visit to your classroom. Our visit will conclude with a fun recycling/litter themed activity.