Card In Workshop Area?

[green hippo]

Hi,

Do others put coloured and white card in their workshop area as part of the basic provision? We are just considering whether we should continue providing it as it is so expensive and the children do get the opportunity to cut cardboard boxes etc. Thinking we might just put in off-cuts instead of full sheets which the children tend to cut into smaller bits anyway. We provide card in the mark-making area - again would be interested to know whether others do - as basis provision or enhancements? We find that the children are more inclined to use the whole piece of card in the writing area e.g. for making greeting cards.

Thanks

Green Hippo x

[Guest]

Your reasoning is sound so I would go with your instinct and just give them offcuts, it's going to push them to be more creative anyway, I would think.

 

IMHO children don't have to have access to EVERYTHING they might ever want! Life isn't like that, especially higher up the school.

[Shiny]

We do the same in the mark making area, as you said for cards etc, but in the DT area unless it is for a purpose (ie crowns/puppets etc in an adult led activity) we stick to cut offs, flattened boxes, ex displays or any other cheap/free card we can get our hands on. This week they have really enjoyed using old Christmas cards, parents must think we are potty using them at this time of year but the card is perfect size for 'making' and completely FREE!!!!!

[Guest]

We keep scissors to the creative area so that the papers in the writing area don't get snipped up. Anything we put in the creative area is fair game for the snippers, but we might tell everyone that we have provided some card at the moment as it is a useful base for collage - that usually gets respected.

[narnia]

ask parents to bring in card inserts from packaging.....................things such as tights, chocolate etc, often have a piece of card in the pack to act as a stiffener, all free.Also, ask your local supermarket if you can have the card/paper that comes between packs of things.I just got a nice lot of huge sheets of creamy white sugar paper from my local sainsbury's ( it was between the bags of sugar), it's really good quality too and would have cost me a fortune to buy....all free!

[Guest]

Surely, if you've got some in the writing area children could go and get some from their if they were really keen to use it in the creative area? That's what mine do! A bit to much actually- I stopped putting sellotape and staplers in the writing area as they were getting through them quite a bit. So now they just go and get them from the creative area instead!

[Guest]

We often put offcuts only in the craft/workshop area, but I can relate to the speed with which they go through stuff. We also have our glue, tape, etc in the craft/workshop area and not in the mark making area but I still think we should get shares in the companies that make them!