There are always great craft ideas to find online, when I need a little inspiration.  But, sometimes, it’s just enough to give the kids a word and let them go with the materials I have on hand.  ”Rocket”  (enough said, for my five-year-old son)  ”Pony” (my nearly-3-year-old is all over it).

We always have a good stock of dollar-store items on hand.  Glue sticks and white glue, tape, feathers, googly eyes, cardboard, construction paper, funky scissors, popsicle sticks and foam sheets are just a few and provide a good base to add personality to any creation.

Kamloops’ city curbside recycling program is a fantastic thing for the environment.  I love it.  I smile and say “yessss” every time I see the garbage/recycling truck bins my bins.  It’s SO nice to have the stuff off my hands but also makes me feel good to know that I have done my part by filling my recycling bin more than my garbage bin.  I also love how it also gives me one place to look when I need a little bit of… ummm.. “junk” for the kids to work with.  Cardboard?  Usually.  A little plastic?  Yep.  Soup cans?  Definitely.  Milk jugs?  Ummm, of course.  If there is something that looks particularly useful, I tend to set it aside in my “To Create” bin.  Sooner or later we will get to it.

If I feel like letting the kids go wild I can just tip the bin for a few seconds and get some high-quality imagination-motivation for my little ones.  And, the more I get in there with them… the less I mind the cleanup (because it’s my mess, too).

We have a designated craft space in our house.  It’s a bit of a disaster at the moment.

But I like it that way.

What have you been crafting?  We had friends come over with toilet paper rolls and we made some awesome things out of toilet paper rolls, feathers, googly eyes and foam.  What fun!  I even got to make the tp roll flowers that I had been ogling as a decoration for my bathroom.  Get ready for the toilet paper roll challenge, coming in September!!  Check out the next newsletter (Sept 1st) for more details!!

What’s your latest recyclable creation?  Care to share it?  I’m looking for guest contributors with craft and cooking ideas, so if you want to get involved, just drop an e-mail to elizabeth@kamloopsparents.com

About your Author | Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a Kamloops lifer. Born at RIH, she is happy to be raising her family here. Married with three wonderful children, Elizabeth is a full-time teacher and enjoys working with parents as she learns more about this "Mommy gig". Elizabeth is passionate about parenting and enjoys networking with other parents. She has been running KamloopsParents.Com since March 2010.