by Loni Stel

Created on: October 31, 2010

As a homeschooling mom of over 18 years to ten children, teaching recycling begins right in the home and becoming a part of our everyday lives.  Our recycling has not just been to keep things clean and green, but also for financial reasons.  We have learned to reuse things.  We have bought has many hard covered textbooks as possible so we can reuse it with our younger children.  Some workbooks I have even erased to use with younger children.  Crayons we have melted down and then melted together to keep using them and add fun to having multi-colors in one crayon!    Empty fruit and vegetable cans have become pencil holders; tuna cans are paper clip holders and a large soup can holds milk carton caps - for counting!  We also have used the colored comic section of the Sunday paper for decorating these cans, some of their school books and using as gift wrap.

Children can easily do art projects with thing we have on hand, from using bird seed to scratched CD and DVD's.  I have pasted cardboard paper on CD's to show different fractions.  Not only does this help them learning, but it's much more durable than paper that gets thrown away the same day.  We use egg cartons for counting, keeping coins in and other art projects.  We have donated used cell phones to our local library which helps them buy more books, which helps my family in being able to borrow more books for our schooling!  

As a mom who loves being creative, I search through Etsy.com and other webpages for repurposed items to either purchase or give me ideas in recycling, such as taking wool sweaters and making the sleeves into fingerless gloves.  I've used worn flannel sheets and made them into cloth diapers for my little ones.  Second hand stores are a part of our lives and our children have learned the value of them and how much more they can get and how they can give back.  When our children see this is a part of our lives to recycle not just the ordinary pop cans and newspapers, they will also make it a habit to recycle.  

So with America Recycles Day coming up on November 15th, why not use it for either continuing or beginning a continual recycling in your home?  If you are already recycling on a regular basis do something extra such as cleaning up an area park, stream or road.  If you have not gotten into the habit of recycling begin and make it fun.  See who can be the most creative in your home or have your children's friend's participate.  Schools and homeschool groups can certainly do this.  And it's just the beginning of making it a part of your everyday life.

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