A Room of Repurposing

Hi! It's Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended use.

This week I was reminded that the children in the classroom can be the best repurposers. (Is that a word? Hmm.) One of my girls walked over to the blocks and repurposed them from building to spelling and writing. Here's what she did.

Kids have great imaginations and great ideas. They can take just about anything and reimagine it into something completely different. 

But there's one barrier to this - ADULTS. We can dampen those ideas with a just a few words. Or a mindset. (Well, maybe it's not you. Maybe it's me.)

Often we say "no" when we could say "yes." Or at least "Hmm. Let's think about that."

So what happens when you see kids repurpose? Well....

Headbands (strips of cloth) become doll clothes

Masking tape becomes a hat

A block bin becomes a hat

Tables and chairs become a tunnel

And gems become pizza toppings

As you work with a group of children or survey a classroom, think about ways you can say yes. Yes to creativity. Yes to fun ideas. Yes to repurposing. 

I learn some of the best ideas that way!

How have you seen kids' imaginations in action as they repurpose materials?