Finding the Potential.

Use the vision of an artist, look at things not for what they are, but for the potential that they might have........

Repurposing "garbage" into arts and crafts has been something that I have done as long as I can remember. I am rubbing off on my eight year old son. His creativity an ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. I wonder what we could make out of this? Wait! Don't Throw that Away! I can make a car with that, wouldn't this make a great airplane? I love how imaginative and playful he is! It has been a great year creating together.

As this year is coming to a close, I thought I would take a look at the most popular posts on this blog this year. I still feel like a "newbee" to the blog world, having posted for about seven months now. I am starting to get the hang of things when I have the time to do so! According to whatever the popular post gadget uses to determine popularity- my top 3 posts were all about using old markers! How Cool is that!

Top Post #1: The Markers Don't Work!

Top Post #2: A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (as promised)

Top Post #3: What Could It Be? (I promise this is the last post on markers for now)

Here's to a new year of reusing and repurposing.......

Remember to face each day with artist's eyes and harness the potential all around you!

Comments

A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (As Promised)

Yesterday, I hope I convinced you not to throw away your markers that "don't work." Today, I will share with you a few ideas for what to do with all of the caps. The possibilities are nearly endless, but here are a few of our recent creations: 1) A Leprechaun/Fairy Ladder/Rope Ladder: 2) #1 if not permanently secured can also double as a rope bridge: 3) #1/#2 can also be made into a train track for your homemade trains :). (No photo available) 4) You can use them as beads for a necklace: 5) You could make them into a wind chime. (No photo available). 6. You can use them as small manipulatives to count, sort, and make patterns with. (No photo available). 7) You could use them as playing pieces in your own homemade board game. (No photo available). 8) You could put them on a wire and glue them in place to make a twirling whirly-gig. 9) You could top them with a lid from a milk jug to make tiny tables or toadstools. 10) You could make them...

"The Markers Don't Work!"

How may times have you heard, "Ms. (fill your name in here), this marker doesn't work!" I know I hear it all the time. Sometimes it is because our little friends forget to replace the caps, and sometimes the markers have just been "all used up!" What do you do with all those markers that just don't work? Please don't tell me that you throw them out, try this instead: First, sort your markers out. Put the caps in one container ( save those too, I'll show you what you can do with them in tomorrow's post) and the markers in another. I have a box for the markers that "don't work" for the children to place them into every time they run across one. You can also have the children help you test the markers periodically to sort out the ones that need to be removed from the "working set." When it comes time to use "the markers that don't work," we use a small sponge paint roller to roll water onto our card...

Our DIY Light Tables

There has been a lot of buzz about light tables over at Teach Preschool on Facebook . Deborah has collected some great ideas for light table play and has been experimenting with making her own table over on the Teach Preschool blog. I thought I would share with you our two light tables and how we made them. This first table is one that we put together with some scrap wood pieces, an old plexi-glass door from an entertainment center, and a couple of aquarium lights. Total Cost = $0. (We had everything on hand.) The table needs a little bit of tweaking. (It is on my to do list). Basically, we made a frame of wood around the plexi-glass and placed the lights under it. Our DIY skills in putting this together were far from expert, so the frame has a couple of gaps (and the reused wood is warped). We plan to try a new frame and use some caulk to seal any gaps. We also plan to attach the lights to the side of the frame instead of just placing them on the f...

Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

Search This Blog