All Wrapped Up

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

Well, this time I'm using "repurpose" in a little different way. Recently I was reminded that kids can use materials in ways they were intended, materials that are usually not used by kids but by adults.

We had a "gift wrapping" experience recently in my class. Kids got to use tissue paper and clear tape. These materials are things I would use to wrap gifts myself.

Kids often do not get to explore these types of items. So, my kids wrapped and wrapped. They would bring me a "gift," I would unwrap and appreciate the gift, they would wrap it up again.

What did they wrap? Food boxes that had been stuffed with newspaper; a few wooden blocks; a couple of homemade Velcro blocks. You could give them whatever was on hand. 

I like using tissue paper because it is easier to fold and handle than wrapping paper. And it's much cheaper. (Don't use that expensive art tissue; get the gift wrap kind from the dollar store!)

You can save the tissue if you want for later collage projects. We just tossed it after our exploration was a wrap.

Think of ways you can give kids adult tools or materials that they can explore and use themselves. I posted about glue guns and staplers in the past. Kids could use screwdrivers or hand drills, mixing bowls and whisks, spray bottles and dish cloths. We have even used a drying rack when we washed our play dishes. 

Look around the house. Walk through the store. Kids love to use those adult materials. What can you explore?