Scrap Paper

Right now I'm collecting random blank papers from around the apartment to use to make some blank books and journals. I try to use every scrap for something. Even if I wind up shredding it, the pieces can be used as stuffing for mailing, much like bubble wrap. Printer paper that has misfires gets quartered and used for scrap paper. If you have a big stack of old flyers, the local print shop can cut the whole stack and glue the ends to make notepads out of it. Remember each paper was once a tree probably, so why waste it? If you make paper, you can toss many papers into the blender to be made into new sheets of paper. It's a good use for junk mail. Thanks to email, the gobs of junk mail finding their way through mail slots aren't as bad as they used to be.

Or staple the papers together and let your kids practice their drawing on the blank side. I do believe drawing increases intelligence. Learning to transfer 3D images to drawings teaches us how to analyze the world around us.

Save the tissue from gifts to make new cards with.