As a family we are moving towards a more sustainable life, we are not dropping ‘off the grid’ just yet but we are on a journey, learning more about how we can continue to lessen our impact on the world and change our habits for the long term. We aim to buy less, make more and re-use what we already have.

We are not perfect but we are committed to making change.

As with most things, with crafting there is always and element of wastage. Here are a few simple tips to lessen your environmental impact when creating art & craft with your children at home:

• RAID THE RECYCLING – Rather than buying new cardboard or other materials, use what you already have. Cardboard boxes, toilet rolls, egg cartons, bottle tops and other packaging make excellent crafting materials.
• USE NATURAL MATERIALS – Go on a treasure hunt for natural materials. Sticks, pine cones, seed pods, feathers and leaves all make great additions to your craft supplies. We also love using natural craft materials like wooden components and beads, raffia, cotton or wool.
• AVOID PLASTIC – Avoid adding plastic like foam or plastic sticky tape to your craft projects. Use Kraft sticky tape instead, this can be recycled along with your other paper and cardboard. Avoid micro-plastics like glitter.
• MIX YOUR OWN PAINT COLOURS – If you are buying pre-mixed paints, buy your paints in bulk. Buy large bottles of black, white, red, blue and yellow and mix your own colours, that way you are avoiding buying lots of single use plastic paint bottles. You can store any excess mixed paint in glass jam jars with lids to use at a later date. Alternatively you can purchase non-toxic natural paint pigments and mix your own paints.
• SHOP ECO-FRIENDLY ART & CRAFT SUPPLIES - When buying art and craft materials look out for natural non-toxic crayons, recycled newspaper pencils, recycled cardboard and paper, plant-based glues and natural paint pigments.
• SHOP SECOND HAND – You can often find interesting items for crafting in your local second hand shop. Look out for fabrics, yarn, canvases, wooden building blocks, glass jars to store materials and plates or trays to use as paint pallets.
• BUY IN BULK – Buy glue and other craft supplies in bulk to lessen the amount of packaging used.
• REUSE or RECYCLE – Reuse your old art & craft projects, if you can’t reuse them then break down the parts and recycle the materials.