What if today’s scraps could become tomorrow’s creative project? At the Makerspace within Te Āhuru Mōwai, that idea has come to life one plywood offcut at a time. In collaboration with Enviroschools, materials once destined straight for landfill are being reused as tools for creativity in early childhood centres.
The Makerspace’s busy laser cutter generates a steady stream of plywood scraps. Instead of throwing them away, the team collects the offcuts in a dedicated bin, ready for Kristi Whittaker, ECE Enviroschools Facilitator to pick up and redistribute throughout the Enviroschools network.
Stew Wilson, Makerspace Specialist, says the collaboration is a natural fit.
“We are always looking at ways to reduce waste in the Makerspace. Knowing our offcuts can inspire creativity in early childhood centres instead of heading straight to the landfill makes it a win. It’s about seeing potential where others might see scrap.”
Kristi Whittaker agrees.
“This collaboration shows tamariki that sustainability isn’t just a concept it’s something we can practice every day. By reusing these materials in projects, children learn that resources have value and that caring for the environment can be hands on, imaginative and fun.”
Enviroschools Regional Coordinator Sarah Williams, taking part in the Enviroschools Christmas event, making Christmas ornaments embedded with vegetable seeds
One standout project saw children at Massey Childcare Centre use the offcuts to help create reusable paper mâché Christmas ornaments embedded with vegetable seeds. After the festive season, families were encouraged to soak the decorations in water, sprout the seeds, then plant them in the garden extending the life of both the artwork and the learning.
Banner pic: Early childhood teacher showing children how to use the offcuts to create reusable paper mâché Christmas ornaments embedded with vegetable seeds.
Article provided by Sarah Williams, Horizons Regional Council.