Going Green in the Art Area in Early Childhood Education

 “Good heavens, of what uncostly material is our earthly happiness composed... if we only knew it. What incomes have we not had from a flower, and how unfailing are the dividends of the seasons.”
~James Russell Lowell

Most teachers are “green” in their classrooms and don’t even know it. I always was…I taught many ideas I originally learned from my parents. My mom always found ways to keep me busy…I was a very artsy kid-I loved to draw color and do collages. We had no money to do any of it…but she always supplied the goods. If you want some excellent collage material that will last you the rest of the school year-now is the time to get it. Wrapping paper…yes, wrapping paper…
It’s better if it is all not too season oriented, but it really doesn’t matter. The brighter, bolder the colors the better-this time of year…while everyone is tearing through it with drunken abandon, simply select your samples and set them aside.
Here are some ideas of what you can do with it:

*Shred some for projects
*Uses some patterned pieces for cutting with the children
*Have some die cut into shapes for gluing
*Use some for the kids to do a tearing collage
*Colored cellophane is great, too-don’t forget to save that!
*Have a ‘Collage Box’ in the art area and steadily add to it as it gets low
Bows, ribbons and bits of card board from the boxes are also a great hit.
Remember-you heard it hear first!