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From 1990 to 2005, the amount of trash going to U.S. landfills decreased by 9 million tons.
50 percent of all paper products are currently being recycled.
As much as 75% of all corrugated material and containers and as much as 68% of all newsprint used in the U.S. is recovered for recycling in the U.S.
These trends are almost certainly due to a constantly increasing awareness of environmental issues and the impact of recycling. Kids today have a much greater exposure to the importance of environmental awareness … but it is important to teach them that recycling and renewing of resources can be fun and clever, not just a practical necessity.
Art seems to uniquely lend itself to the recycling movement. After all, the artist’s job is to take something and make it beautiful … and this is exactly what we will be doing during our “Save the Earth with Art” camp!
The first project of every KidzArt camp is a portfolio, functional art the children use for storing the masterpieces they create all week long. Our portfolio this week is a collage, made from paper scraps arranged to create a patchwork design.
Miss Rebecca with recycle portfolio
Paper is one of the simplest art materials to recycle; it is even possible to make your own recycled paper, using scraps from your own home! We will also be experimenting with art made from bottle caps, corks, even junk mail!
Miss Kelly with recycled bag
Recycled art can take a million forms, and can be either simple, like these guitar picks made from recycled credit cards:
(Cheaper) use for credit cards ...
… or incredibly complex, like this life-sized viking ship made from 15 million popsicle sticks:
Popsicle stick Viking ship
The most important thing to remember is that everything around us is art; sometimes it just takes a little creativity and an eye for seeing the beauty in the ordinary! Take a minute to look around and see what you already have in your home that can be transformed into unique, beautiful art.
Great Article! Thanks!