Do you remember dot matrix printers? Do you remember the paper that went into them? The accordion-folded, perforated sheets, with holes all along the side? Before my first-grader’s holiday party at school in December, I had the enormous pleasure of folding and tearing off all those perforated edges (I love doing that!!) so that the kids could use the paper for their craft projects. That’s when I found out that the paper was something that his teacher had scored at Artsjunktion, a depot where teachers can pick up art supplies for free.
Here’s how it works. Businesses and individuals donate anything from hubcaps to hockey helmets, socks to stickers, teachers pick up the free supplies, and children turn them into art. It’s all kinds of awesome: less goes into the landfill, stuff gets repurposed, creativity abounds, and it’s free.
One year, a sock manufacturer donated boxes of odd socks. The art teacher at our school picked them up, and her students made sock puppets.
If your workplace is cleaning out old letterhead, bits and bobs, odds and ends, please consider whether it can be used to make art before you put it into the bin.
If you live in Toronto and can contribute or want to let your child’s teacher know about the programme, here is the contact information:
Old Orchard Public School
Eileen Orr
380 Ossington Ave.
(@College St.)
416-393-0894
eileen.orr@tdsb.on.ca
If you don’t live in Toronto, share the idea with your city council!
4 Mothers 
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