Recycling Christmas cards into craft resources
 

The Woodland trust in connection with commercial chain stores run free card recycling schemes.

Local door to door recycling services provided by councils also provide the same service.

Craft activities for greeting cards are many, although potentially seasonal, storage may be a consideration.

Send out a request slip for unwanted cards and sort for focussed play & learning:

• Explore traditional colours: red, green, white, yellow/gold and silver.
• Build collages, and signed areas.
• Find out about Robins, wrens, blackbirds, sparrows, what they eat and how they keep warm in the winter.
• Make bookmarks, gift labels and hanging advent images.
• What images appear on cards. Group, sort, match and pattern make.
• Cut cards in half, recycle the plainer backs and fold the image side in hlf. Use in small world role play, tower building. Fold with image on the underside and play hide and find.

Have fun

I use them for jigsaws as well as bookmarks... just cut them up and slide them back together. Keeps the children busy for ages and you can add more to challenge them. Then later in the year I bring them out again for cutting and sticking activities... none left to recycle :D