Rubbish or a craft resource?

After the festive season many people throw away their Christmas wrapping paper, Christmas cards and cracker content, not here!  These waste resources make stunning art materials for our Green Club.  Last week saw the start of our Pedro’s After School Green Club at the William Penn Primary School in Coolham, West Sussex. 15 children ranging from 6 to 11 came together to learn ways they can “upcycle” these materials into new Christmas resources. We made new crackers out of cardboard tubes, Christmas wrapping paper and unwanted cracker jokes and gifts.  Out of the Christmas cards we made present tags and Christmas cards for next year and thank you cards for this year.

Many thanks go to the William Penn families who saved their Christmas waste resources for the club, as you can see they are a wonderful free art materials.  Although paper and cards can be recycled,  it is environmentally much better to upcycle than recycle. If they are recycled fuel is used to transport them from household waste bin to the WSCC Ford Materials Recycling Facility and then onto an end re-processor. Then energy and water are used in the reprocessing them into new products.  So whenever possible choose upcycling over recycling!

Our club sessions combine environmental protection, biodiversity and healthy living. The aim being to help grow a new generation of green champions, through fun and positive games and outdoor play, where knowledge, values and skills will become deep rooted.  The knowledge gained will help the children make decisions about the way we all do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally. Therefore, children learn about improving the quality of our lives now, at the same time as not damaging the planet for the future. 

As well as the after school club we offer one-off events and help Schools work towards Eco School flags. Learn more about the club here.

If you like the idea of upcycling crafts come and join us in Horsham at the WSCC pop-up shop where Christmas upcycling crafts will be available, so you can try your hand at making a cracker! There will be people available to chat to you about recycling in West Sussex and lots more.  The pop-up shop will be in Unit 65 of the Swan Walk Shopping Centre (near Wilko), 26th – 31st January 10 – 16.00.

 

We want you, the people of Sussex, to take some ownership of www.sussexgreenliving.co.uk.  Forward your suggestions for events, videos, parks and green spaces etc to be added to “your” site.

“Greening Sussex by Sussex families”