When I was growing up, I learned to use whatever we had around the house for my crafts and projects. When I began teaching, I didn’t have much of a budget, and I continued to make use of things I could find and reuse. Some of my favorite supplies came to me as cast offs. So the adage “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” definitely holds true.
Most of us recycle things these days. When you are looking for items you can use in your classroom or home to make a reading adventure, be sure to look around you to see what you can reuse. This may mean looking at what is available and then planning an activity instead of planning an activity and then going out and getting supplies. In one of my early teaching years, I was given the last half of a roll of wrapping paper with rabbits printed in circles on a blue background. Not having any rabbit wrapping needs at the moment, I tried to find a use in my classroom. We were about to study letter B so I used the paper to make Blue Bunny Badges and read Bunny Books. Never would I have planned to make badges and then go out and try to find Bunny pictures to use, but the other way around made a wonderful use of a giveaway item.
Another way to secure a stream of donated items is to become known in your circle as the one who will take anything. But be aware that this often means taking and then donating or recycling or trashing the items or you may end up knee deep in stuff. Once an x ray technician who knew me asked if I would like to have the cardboard that the films are packaged in. I didn’t think much of it but said sure – thinking I could at least recycle it if I couldn’t use it. It turned out that these cardboard dividers came between every sheet and were pristine white with finished edges and rounded corners. Beautiful art supplies! I used them for years.
As you gain experience with this type of recycling, you will also begin to develop an eye for the kinds of things you can put to use. This is when trips to the thrift store or yard sales can yield good materials for your adventures. I have had a lot of luck here. Some unusual finds led to some wonderful reading adventure crafts.
Keep your eyes open and your imagination working and you’ll have plenty of materials for fabulous adventuring!