Where?
Where can you find materials to add to your collection?
In our world today, always try to be aware, mindful and respectful. When you are about to throw something away, pause and look at it. Think about what it would look like if there were many others just like itself. Could it interact well with something else? If cleaned, is it safe? If the answer is YES, then CLEAN it, put it aside to dry and then leave it in a container to sort later. After awhile, you might have something that looks like the image below. Continue scrolling for more ideas and suggestions.
Containers
Before you go out and buy a container, look at what you have. Low box lids, clear jars, berry containers, egg cartons, take out trays. Always have your eyes on the look out at thrift shops or garage or stoop sales for interesting and simple containers. There are also some excellent ones that you can buy, like these we discovered when we were visiting the Opal School in Portland, Oregon:
IKEA
Ikea uses a variety of cardboard pieces as packing materials for breakables and other items. You can find them in between dishes, bakeware, flowerpots, between curtain rods and on the edges of pillows in their display boxes - it’s like going on a scavenger hunt! If you collect the cardboard pieces very carefully and respectfully, you are doing Ikea a favor by reducing their recycling load, and you’re also benefiting children by providing them with a whole range of sturdy and exciting materials with which to to play, create and build. Please be mindful to leave the display as organized as you found it, and let the cashiers know what you have collected (there is no cost for these pieces as they would otherwise have been recycled). In addition, you can often purchase hardware in the “As-Is” department (by the checkout area) at very low cost.
