Eco Friendly Preschooling Solutions?

[cokers4life]

Alright, so after getting my Penguin week all setup, something is really bothering me.        I think I killed a tree!   I will be honest.  I haven't really ever planned activities to this extent and deepth.   I have been really inspired, and I have just dove into this with lots of enthusiam.   Its just that I feel like a tree killer with all the paper we are going to be using.  I mean sure it will get recycled, but it really just hit me how "preschool" in general is incredibly unfriendly to our earthly resources.   

Does anyone have some good ideas?  Or maybe help me feel less guilty about the tree I just killed?  (okay I didn't kill a tree but we are heading in that direction.)    How do you make learning more eco-friendly without using the computer or television?  Its not that I am opposed to television or computers.  I just have that part covered.  Thanks!

[mother of faith]

Recycle the things that you can and reuse them that takes some guilt off. For isntance if I print wrong or the ink is smeared then I allow my children to color or draw on the messed up paper. I try to reuse or recycle everything I can in the house for crafts and for school materials like cereal boxes make great game boards and flashcard baking. I too go through 'a tree' each week. I go through 5000 sheets a week or more.

[cokers4life]

Thanks for the ideas.  5000 sheets! Wow that is a lot.   Well, I realized later that I already had a solution staring me in the face.   This past Holiday I had bought the kids Crayola Dry Erase Desks, and you can just insert your own worksheets under the plastic cover to be used over and over again. 

It makes it better for learning to tasks that take lots of practice like learning to write numbers, letters and math facts.   I have been making my own worksheets for math lately because I don't want to financially commit to any particular product write now.  I felt good about printed them in color because I was going to use them over and over.   Well, the worksheets were a big hit for my little ones, and they love their dry erase boards. 

I am not a crafty person myself, and I realize the important skills crafts offer to a child.  I just wish there was a more eco-friendly way.  Like you, I have been reusing paper towel rolls, cereal box and things of that nature.   Its all the cutting, gluing, glitter and construction paper that is getting me.  My kids are at that age where it takes them one minutes to complete an art task (well, its completed in their mind).  It almost seems like a waste.  I mean a paper with 30 seconds of scribble, and it just  goes into the trash.  I think maybe a chalkboard is in order.

[Kerileanne99]

I also got tired of waste and was looking for activities to strengthen my daughters writing grip.  I found some wallpaper, white, with hand-drawn frames...a bit pricey, but you could EASILY put them on the wall yourself or even let the kids do it! I just wasn't able and found this an easy solution...I then covered it in a special dry erase treatment, again, easy enough to do yourself.  The result is a hallway long easel that looks gorgeous and showcases artwork in tidy little frames! We take pictures, wipe, start all over again...
BTW, even glue and applied bits wash off after being sprayed with water and a bit of lemon juice!

http://www.grahambrown.com/us/product/52050/Frames+%3A+Black+%26+White+Wallpaper/-1?show=

[mother of faith]

You can also use the thick sheet protectors as well. Some you can and some you can't but the majority of things do wipe off. I feel so guilty but we use tons of things over again to make our day and guilt a little better. I also use contact paper. turn scribbles into scissor practice, just draw lines on them and let them practice cutting, also you can make boxes or origami things out of the scribbled paper. my kids love to find things and glue to the scribbled paper, and I  have seen others paint over the paper with white and draw again. we reuse our all of the time.

[Mandabplus3]

For tracing practice you can use a permanent marker on a white board, then have the kids go over it with a whiteboard marker. Once the permanent marker is completely covered it will wipe off. A useful idea when you need to get the tracing more accurate as wherever they miss will not rub out.
A black board is great as is a plastic clipboard to use as a white board with the dry erase pens. An easy mini white board can be made by laminating a piece of white paper or card.
I laminate anything I think all three of my kids will use on multiple occasions, then I also have the resour for school use later. My kids like colour too 
My favorite is a sand tray. Oven tray full of sand, used for finger writing numbers letters and small CVC words. It's popular with the kids but can be messy with some!
We have easy access to recycled coloured construction paper here, it's actually cheaper than regular coloured paper because it isn't perfectly uniform in colour.
If you buy recycled paper in the first place and then reuse as you can you are a greenie and can sleep soundly you could even try making some your self, great learning opportunity.

[eschlem]

Not sure if this is eco-friendly or not, but we use tracing paper placed on top of workbooks and worksheets to practice handwriting with pencils.   

We used dry erase markers (these are very staining on clothes, so had to be supervised) on worksheets put into sheet protectors to practice writing before.  It was time consuming to wipe everything down after we were done, but Magic Eraser cleaning sponges are able to get dry erase marker stains off the sheet protectors.  (Magic Eraser also gets crayon and marker of walls, by the way!  Not sure what is in it, but works amazingly well in removing stains!) 

[lelask]

I also got tired of waste and was looking for activities to strengthen my daughters writing grip.  I found some wallpaper, white, with hand-drawn frames...a bit pricey, but you could EASILY put them on the wall yourself or even let the kids do it! I just wasn't able and found this an easy solution...I then covered it in a special dry erase treatment, again, easy enough to do yourself.  The result is a hallway long easel that looks gorgeous and showcases artwork in tidy little frames! We take pictures, wipe, start all over again...
BTW, even glue and applied bits wash off after being sprayed with water and a bit of lemon juice!

http://www.grahambrown.com/us/product/52050/Frames+%3A+Black+%26+White+Wallpaper/-1?show=

Keri , could you please post a link where i could find the special dry erase treatment? I am trying to find it on the UK ebay but have no luck. Thank you

[Kerileanne99]

Sorry Lelask, I only just saw this post!

Here is the product we used, but there are lots of different brands.a company called Rustoleum even makes a version you can buy at DIY stores. I know they sell it in the UK as I saw it at a DIY store at Christmas there.
IMO, it is better to buy the more expensive version we used, as it takes about half as much to cover the area effectively, probably making it roughly the same cost but a lot less work!

http://www.whiteyboard.com/white-dry-erase-paint.html

Hope this helps!

[Korrale4kq]

We don't do theme based units a lot for this reason! So much waste.
I select a few of the printables that reinforce a concept but seldom print out all.  I laminate and reuse by putting the things written on in plastic folders if possible.
Reuse your penguin unit stuff another week when you do birds, black and white or cold weather animal themes. Select a few penguin activities, for example create a penguin matching game. Then if you do polar bears a following week select other activities than matching, like sorting instead. Then when you combine all the games and activities  you have a big array of skills and concepts to work on. It works nicely as a review.

Like others do I use white boards, plastic sheet protectors and a laminator with dry erase markers and crayons.
I also use junk mail for cutting skills, and for James to scribble, paint, and write all over. We reuse cardboard boxes for crafts too.

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