Check out this fun booklet! Yep, it’s made by stapling blank paper in an unused holiday napkin. How cool is that? I’m thinkin’ there are oodles of ways to use leftover holiday items, such as bags, bows, cards, and gift wrap.
And what about this year’s calendars, which will soon be last year’s calendars? It sure seems as though you could use the pictures and even the calendar grids in some way.
Okay, here’s my bright idea! You share your ideas for reusing holiday leftovers (nonperishable leftovers, mind you! 🙂 ), and we’ll choose the best ideas to purchase for an upcoming issue of The Mailbox magazine. If your idea is selected, you’ll receive a $20 gift certificate that you can use toward the purchase of a magazine subscription or a book or kit from The Mailbox! You’ll also receive a free issue of the magazine in which your idea appears.
Oh, I love the holidays! Just be sure to leave your idea on this blog post before midnight ET, Sunday, January 6.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Diane
Left over gift bags make great covers for classbooks in our preschool calssroom. We had a bag with a snowman on the front. Each preschooler made their own snowman picture and named the snowman. Then we put them all together in a classbook and the children took turns taking the book home to read with their famiy. They loved carrying it by the handles!
In the past, we’ve collected people’s old Christmas cards and then cut off the front so we can recycle them. The kids get a very cute “almost” store bought Christmas cards for a friend or relative. We measure the cards and then make homemade envelopes for them.
Bows and recycled ribbon are wonderful for painting. Have each child dip them in paint and press on paper. Very cool pictures.
I collect scrap gift wrap or used and place it in the sensory table with scissors for the children to practice cutting.
I use recycled cards for cutting practice as well. After the kids cut out their choice of cards I give them paper and cool to create collages or pictures from them.
All those great toy catalogs you get in the newspaper I just place on the table with scissors and markers. My class loves to cut the pictures of toys out and then give them to their classmates as a present. They ask how to I spell Mary’s name or John’s name. Great writing practice and cutting practice.
I use the paper and cards to do my child’s scrapbook and the letters to update the family tree adding pictures, etc.
Before we break for the holiday vacation, we send a letter home to encourage our preschool parents to save any and all of their gift wrap, cardboard rolls, boxes of all sizes, (especially Christmas card boxes with the clear, plastic lids) tape, all sorts of containers like candy tins and oatmeal containers and bring them back to school in January. For the whole month, we pile it all up on a recessed train table, which contains it and keeps it off the floor. We set out colored masking tape, scissors and glue and call it our “Imagination Station”. The children create all kinds of things-robots, cameras, treasures of all sorts. Some just tape boxes together and have a great time. Then they take home their creations and the parents’ recyclables come back again! Some of the children spend all of their choice time at this table, for as long as it is available. It’s great fun.
I read and responded to this blog yesterday and then went to work today and realized another thing I do with recycled Chirstmas items.
We teachers all tend to get boxes of candy at Christmas. This morning I realized I have been using the empty boxes to store Christmas craft items in. I have stamps, stickers and ribbon in them. We store them together and they stack wonderful.
Cards and gift bags make simple, easy and greatly enjoyable puzzles! I cut the front off the cards or bags and laminate with contact paper so my preschoolers won’t tear them. They love them!
Oh goodness, there are so many ways fun ways to use left over holiday supplies. I’ve been holding off posting because I can’t decide which to post, or how to organize the post, but here are a few:
1) We save, and ask families to save any scraps of red patterned wrapping paper (paper with strips, polka dots etc is best, but even more exclusively “Christmassy” prints can work) and take them out again in the days leading up to Valentines Day. They are perfect for making a variety of red decorations, such as paper chains, to make the classroom feel festive for Valentines Day. We also cut hearts out of the paper, and clue then onto folded cardstock to make Valentines cards. The paper is also great for covering Valentines Day mailboxes.
2) The grids of calendars are perfect for number recognition games at a center. Set out a die, as well as two different coloured markers or placeholders. One child rolls the die, and crosses off a number on the calendar that corresponds with the number on the die. The game continues until all of the spots on the calendar are covered. Kids then count up how many spots each child covered on the calendar.
3) The pictures in calendars are also great for visual discrimination. Cut out and laminate each large picture in the calendar, as well as the small thumbnail pictures on the back. Kids can match each thumbnail picture with the larger version.
4) Calendar pictures for artist studies: I like to expose kids to the works of various great painters and artists. We read about the artist, and then try to recreate a technique or work of the artist. Calendars with pictures of works by various artists are perfect for this. We cut them out, mount them onto cardstock, and laminate them. We can then pass them out and display them around the classroom when we’re studying the artist.
5) Calendars for cutting practice: The grids on calendars are ideal for young preschoolers to practice first scissor skills on. They can follow the grid lines to practice cutting straight lines. When all the squares are cut out, then can be coloured and glued onto pieces of construction paper, building block style, to create larger squares, buildings, and other shapes.
6) Target practice: Crumpled up wrapping paper is perfect for scrunching into balls (great fine motor practice), that can be tossed in the air for pretend snowball fights when it’s too cold or to go outside (or if it’s too warm to snow outside). You can also use them as balls to bounce on the parachute (a towel, fabric pieces, old sheets etc work as well if you don’t have a parachute), and as indoor balls to try and throw into a laundry basket or other target.
7) Pass the present: Scraps of wrapping paper can be used to wrap many layers of paper around a number of small treasures. On a special occasion, like a Valentines party, the ball gets passed around in hot potato style. The child with the ball when the music stops gets to remove one layer of paper, and if she finds a prize, to keep it. Play continues until all of the kids have had a chance to unwrap a layer and uncover a prize.
8) What season is it: Old calendars with nature scenes are perfect for learning about the different seasons. Cut out each calendar picture, glue onto cardstock, and laminate. When you have a number of different pictures, set them out at a centre and have kids try to sort the pictures into images that represent fall, winter, spring and summer, or hold up a picture during circle time and have the kids discuss as a group which category they think the picture belongs in.
I’m sure there is a lot I am forgetting, but I don’t want to make this post any longer 🙂
Left over holiday wrapping paper can be used in a wrapping station. We turn our dramatic play area into a wrapping station. The students choose a gift and a box to put the gift in and then practice wrapping. The students really enjoy this center and get fine motor practice at the same time!
We also use recycled gift bags as covers for class books!
I these ABA preschool getting students ready to transition back to regular preschool, Kindergarten or 1st grade.
1) any holiday thing that you have at least 2 of can be a trimmed down to make a matching file folder, my students are always working on matching. Plates, napkins, wrapping paper and cards that have a small enough design.
2) Larger designs can be turned into puzzles cutting into 2-24 pieces, straight lines or squiggles and zigzags. Add an index card with numbers 0-10 or letters in order or spelling a word and it can be cut into strips to make another type of puzzle.
3) Extra plates, napkins, table cloths and place mats can make a 1:1 place setting area, with uneven numbers can make students have to figure out how many more are needed.
4) Cards and large pieces of wrapping paper can be used for sorting, students need to figure out the sorting method.
5) Wrapping paper tubes are better then toilet paper and paper towel tubes sometimes.
6)Table clothes can be used for keeping tables clean during Playdoh or paint time, can be used on the floor under the sensory table or even on the floor for a picnic.
7) Gift bags can turn into independent work bags.
8) Cards, gift bags, plates and napkins can be used for cutting practice. Tissue paper can be used for tearing, crumple and glue practice. Almost anything can be cut into small pieces for mosaic art to practice gluing.
10) Put all left over Holiday stuff into a play center and see what the kids come up with and let them create their own Holiday party and decorations.
11) Decorations can be deconstructed for future art projects.
12) Styrofoam from gifts can push golf tees into for fine motor practice.