Blog

Budgets are always tight. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you work in a private nursery, school or children’s centre, there just never seems to be enough money to go around, so practitioners have learnt to be a pretty thrifty and hoarding bunch. Here are a few of my favourite sources for free goodies:

Recycling – This is where I always start. Your own recycling bin can be such a treasure trove of items, from turning plastic packaging into plant pots to boxes for junk modelling. I also think teaching children to re-use and reimagine single use packaging items helps them learn to give value to things in today’s throwaway society. One of my favourite things to keep is corks. They can be used for so many things and to enhance so many areas, from loose parts, to playdough or water stations (they float so are often re-imagined as boats). This week I’ve even been making them into small world figures! They’re a good size too and are warm and soft to the touch so make a very tactile and s...