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Don't Throw it Away! It May Have Educational Value!

© Teresa Higginbotham

One of the things I find the most endearing about homeschoolers is there ways of recycling common household items and saving money doing it. It seems many homeschool families are living on one income, so money isn't always plentiful, especially if there are several children. So, one thing they do for themselves and for the environment is to reuse, recycle and reinvent everything from pantyhose to plastic bags. See if you have any of these items sitting in the trash! (If they are covered with spaghetti sauce, you might want to pass on taking them back out.)

1. Card Stock- Buying card stock seems a necessity for special projects like the science fair, but for educational aids around the house? Look at that box the waffles came in, or take a look at that old cereal box sticking out of the trash can. Guess they're made out of? Card stock! Use it in board games, visual aids, flashcards, whatever!

2. Milk Cartons-Paper-So you're going along in the science book and they suddenly say, use an old milk carton to create water pressure, or make a birdhouse, or show how gravity works. Having two or three of these on hand can help you to create art, science, and music...anything.

3. Milk Jugs-Plastic-I've seen many projects in preschool art making everything from Jack -o-Lanterns to Easter Baskets. You can make a birdfeeder, a terrarium, a plant cover, and a sidewalk luminary. You can also cut a large hole in the front keeping the handle intact and use it to hold Legos or any other small toy. Your child can carry the Lego jug around by the handle.

4. Plastic Bags-People already save them to line small trash cans and dispose of dirty diapers, but how about saving them as drop cloths under crafts, use them to cover the kids sleeves in an art project, put them down on the kitchen floor as that paint goes flying willy nilly.

5. Juice Can Lids-I have seen these used as Christmas Ornaments, and made into refrigerator magnets as craft projects for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparent's Day and on and on. Simply glue a picture or some sort of artwork on the front and stick some magnet roll on the back. You can also use them as counters, metal flashcards, game pieces etc.

6. Toilet Paper Rolls-Do you make toilet paper crafts? There is a great site DLTK Crafts that specializes in it. Say you're doing a unit on farm animals-How about making a little duck that your child can stand up on their dresser?

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