Sometime in the spring I got sick a couple of times and a hurt back and so to pass the time I did a deep dive watching some sustainability videos. It was inspiring and reminded me it was something I care about but don't always have the time to really pour into.
Basically it was a reminder that we consume a lot. I can't completely change that all today but I can rethink how we reuse stuff. So I was inspired to reuse a lot of our garbage or otherwise recycled materials in a way that my kids could be entertained. My kids love to make stuff and go through a lot of craft materials. So why not give them materials that could get a second use, save us some money, and encourage their creativity.
So we started a "supplies box" that holds cut up cardboard, cups, lids, and containers. We also have a "make things box" (Pinkalicious reference if you know!) that has things like tape, popsicle sticks, scissors, and whatever materials they have free reign on. Some of the special craft supplies I keep and disperse for specific projects.
This was pre-supplies box. But here are some of the things my oldest has recently made on his own.
So creative! But also so much paper and tape! He said he wants to be a builder when he grows up so I suppose this is all investment into his future!
Here is our make things box:
And our supplies box:
Our supply box remains pretty full. I am back to just recycling things as we just can't reuse every item that comes through our house. Once you start taking inventory of how much you really consume, it is quite alarming. So I try to cut out the fun pieces of cardboard from boxes that the kids like to use and are more interested in. They love to cut out the animals or silly pictures from things like cereal boxes. It is fun to see what they come up with.
Here is a car our son also made using almost all recycled materials. It was pretty neat to see. I love the soda can lights.
This is mostly applicable for my older kids, ages 5 and 7. But the baby does like to play with the plastic cups and lids so that is a win as well! We can't solve all the problems in the world, but these little steps can point us in the right direction.
