“Junk is yucky stuff. So Beautiful Junk is… sparkly!”

Last week, children were introduced to “Beautiful Junk,” which are recycled materials that we can reuse and repurpose in the Studio and in PK classrooms.  Families are invited to drop off bags of materials in the bins outside of the Studio that we can sort throughout the year!

We began by reading Not A Box by Antoinette Portis.  This book is great, as it’s all about a rabbit that uses a cardboard box and his imagination to create a race car, a pirate ship and a robot costume.

Following the read aloud, I brought a large shoebox to the table and children made predictions about what they thought was inside.  As I began to reveal the items, children instantly made connections to the book and were overflowing with ideas of what the materials could be used for.  We talked about what they were (can, blackberry box, cork, water bottle top) and about what material they were made from (metal, cardboard, plastic).  This will make sorting and labeling the bins much easier!

Kaitlyn: I can see through the tube.  I can’t see through the top.

Ali: Why does the metal pan make that loud noise?

Marcus: We like this Beautiful Junk, but we don’t eat it because junk is trash.

Elijah: Maybe Beautiful Junk is junk that’s pink or purple or green, because those are beautiful colors.

Dayana: This blanket (fabric) is cute.  It has little ducks on it.

Kendul: I’ve seen that top before.  It goes on the top of chocolate milk at McDonalds.

Isaac: Junk is a piece of trash, but Beautiful Junk looks nice.

Africa Grace: You can use Beautiful Junk in an art project.

Kaylee: Junk is garbage.

Mina: That top looks like it’s from tupperware!

Avery: Egg cartons open and close like a monster mouth with teeth.

Elizabeth: Beautiful Junk is materials that you use to build beautiful things.  Can I touch that material so I know what it’s made from?

Naila: Junk is stuff that you can give away or you could use it to make something new.

Mason: Bottle tops look like tiny hats.  This is a tiny person.  He’s saying, “Hi, my name is Toppy!”

Drew: Junk means you have to clean it up.  You have to keep it beautiful so we can build with it.

Aaron: We can be like the bunny in the book.  He play with a box.

Sammy: So, junk is dirty.  Then you clean it, and put it together and make beautiful things with it.

Luca: It’s junk that gets cleaned and painted really good.

Alden: It’s when junk is messed up, but Beautiful Junk is when you turn it into something nice, like a car.

Scotland: Beautiful Junk is like a present.  These (corks) look like they come from a tree.

Uhura: Junk is a kind of trash.  Beautiful Junk is maybe, rainbow colored?

Nazeer: You don’t eat trash, but food comes in things that then become trash.  You can make things with it, like a train or a dinosaur.  We’re being just like that bunny!

Adele: That material is called plastic.

Jax: I can see through this!

Asa: Junk is yucky stuff.  So Beautiful Junk is… sparkly!

Nora: Is wood junk?

Amie: When I look through this, I can see that everything is orange in here.

Joelle: Junk is like sugar.  You can eat it, but then you have to brush your teeth.

Cesar: That (cork) goes in the top of the bottle and then you put a map in so you know how to find the treasure.

After children were familiar with the materials, I invited them to openly explore and build with them in the sensory table.  Friends collaborated and enjoyed creating new objects together.

Frances: Let’s pretend these (corks) are eggs.  The pretend eggs are very fragile.  I got them from the store to make pudding pie!  First, we need to open the eggs.  Then, we mix it.  I think we can use the straws to drink the pudding pie!

Elijah: I could use the materials to make a message in a bottle.  Or I could use them to make a Happy Meal.  Or maybe I could make a robot with all these caps?

Declan: I’m pretending that I broke my arm.  The toilet tube is my cast.  I look like a half robot, half tiger because the tubes make my arms look striped.

Isaac: It’s time for me to make you my specialty!  First, you get an egg carton.  Then, you fill it up with soda caps.  That’s the ice cream.  You have to mash them up.  Now, put them in the oven for 20 minutes.  Open it up, see if it’s good and ready.  Nope, it’s not ready yet.  Some is still frozen!  Ok, now it’s ready.  Let me taste it for poison.  Yum… no poison!

Santi: I’m helping Isaac cook the ice cream.  I’m mixing it.  I’m mixing this orange ice cream.

Daniela: I’m making a pie cake.  The orange tray is the oven because it looks like fire and ovens are hot from fire.

Drew: You could make a necklace with these tubes.  I’m making something.  It’s beautiful.  I am making a butterfly and I’m pretending this is his home.  He can fly over here (fabric) for a good rest.  Those little parts (corks) are his caterpillar friends.

Mateo: I need to make some tacos.  These materials look like a taco cooker machine.

Stephanie: I’m making a butterfly with Beautiful Junk and it will be beautiful.

“Beautiful Junk is the most beautiful things in the world!”

This week in the Studio, friends began working with recycled materials, also known as Beautiful Junk!  Many people in the CCPCS community have been donating materials to the Studio over the past few weeks and we were very excited to sort, build and create with these open ended objects.  Thanks to everyone that has donated to us… and please continue to drop off materials in the bins in front of the Studio!  Within the next couple weeks, the bins will be clearly labeled so families will know where specific materials go 🙂

What is Beautiful Junk?

Daniel: Instead of throwing it in the trash, you keep it and think it’s beautiful so you turn it into something new.

Jose: Junk means like a junk yard.  Like trash.  Beautiful means like it looks nice.  It’s beautiful trash.

Noah: It’s for you to get stuff to build like a human, or a mouse, or a house.

Mae: Junk is something that’s empty that you can use.  You can make things with it but don’t break it.

Florentina: Beautiful Junk is the most beautiful things in the world.

Mouhammadou: I like this Beautiful Junk.  It’s not stinky.

Roman: This is stuff for you to do your projects with.

Kofi: Beautiful Junk is things that people didn’t want to use that we can use for materials.  They put them in the box.

Abdoul: It’s recycled.  Then we can use it again.  They’re good.

Rayyan: Junk is like ew.

Once we talked about exactly what Beautiful Junk was, it was time to get to work!  Friends collaged and sculpted with the materials, while others were interested in sorting similar materials together.

Luke: I found more bottle caps.  I’ll put them with the ones Daniel found.

Garumma: I’m making something.  It’s a tractor that’s driving a tiger.  The tiger needs a blanket.  Cardboard is a paper from paper towels.  It’s hard to cut.  It’s not hard to cut fabric.  I’m going back to my project now.

Marley: These are so soft.  Soft like a soft part.

Jose: If you snore so loud, you can put those (corks) in your ears.

Adrian: This is for closing things like bread.

Zuri: This is like a collection.

Abdoulaye: One time I used Beautiful Junk to make a skateboard.  I used tops for wheels.  I used an egg carton for the board.

Alberto: If you see things that are the same you can put them together.  It’s like if you need some spare parts for your project, you can find them together.

Josie: Perfect, I found just what I was looking for.

Maia: That (yarn) looks like rope for a cowboy!

Maceo: I know I used Beautiful Junk to make a plane, and then I broke it and made it into a barn.

Andres: Did the eggs hatch?  Where the eggs?

“The Helicopters” by Angel

“The Great Wall of China” by Alberto

Finally, we had a very special guest join us in the Studio today!  My dad came by and spent the morning making sculptures with us!  Friends were so excited to meet him and to learn that he was also an art teacher, just like me 🙂