Mardi's Musketeers

After about two months of collecting jugs, a gallon of hot glue, a couple bad burns on my fingers, but lots of fun in the process, my class finally finished our reading igloo.
Students brought empty jugs as a recycling project and earned "10 cents" per jug. This project encompassed science, social studies, math, art, and reading.

Students estimated just how many jugs they thought we would need.
Students counted the jugs already in place.
Students had a choice of receiving 1 dime or nickels and/or pennies for payment.
Students counted the "money" they had earned from recycling.
Students measured the growing igloo height using standard and nonstandard units of measure.
Recycling discussions and other recycling projects spawned off this one (bird feeders, sand scoops, Easter baskets).
Our Tundra unit had more meaning when students got to experience igloo life.

The final payoff was when students actually got to crawl into the igloo and read or play a board game. I worked "Igloo Time" into our positive reward system. Behavior drastically improved when "Igloo Time" was at stake.