Paper, paper, everywhere

Paper infiltrates our lives. In our household, there are piles of newspaper and junk mail, a box for recycling paper-based containers that once held store-bought food, in addition to the construction paper and graph paper and lined paper bought new from a store. It can be overwhelming, this amount of paper that seems to slither from under baseboards in the dark of night; and yet, with a little creative effort, this commodity can not only provide an immense amount of educational tools, but also tons of fun in the process.

Previously, I mentioned the use of recycled containers for practice in pinpointing particular letters of the alphabet, perhaps by using stickers to plop on a letter or markers to circle them. Magazines and newspaper are useful for the same purpose. In order to practice cutting skills, preschoolers can cut out specified letters, pictures for a glue-stick created collage or decorated notecards, etc. Perhaps you could have your child hunt for pictures that start with particular letters; write out tangible nouns on slips of paper and have the child match those words to their corresponding pictures; or create your own word-picture game for plenty of fun learning.

Most children love the art of folding newspapers. Airplanes, kites, and hats are perhaps the most well-known creations from folded papers. But an Internet search on origami will also yield folded lilies, swans, and myriad shapes that can also be painted or decorated and given as gifts. Perhaps you could create unique ornaments to hang on trees, walls, and even as pendants or earrings or headbands or button-hole additives for people you love. Or, and especially if you are averse to cut flowers or know someone with allergies, you could fold flowers from paper that is painted and plopped into a vase for a lovely arranged bouquet.

The boys love to doodle and draw, write letters, and copy words and phrases. Papers with such colorful and unique patterning make excellent gift wrap, writing paper or cards, scraps for future crafts and projects. Some people use paper as starter for their wood stoves, others shred it for package stuffing; some, drench it for weed control in their gardens; others, sort if for recycling or composting. So, instead of pitching your pile of paper in the trash, consider creative ways to make that paper an educational tool for your children. And, share your creative tips with others!