This week, our Year 4 Nature Rangers explored the theme of European Week for Waste Reduction with a creative and eco-friendly activity! Keeping sustainability at the heart of our session, the children used recycled egg cartons to craft festive decorations for the front of their Christmas cards. They made beautiful Christmas trees, gingerbread men and hearts, all from repurposed materials.
Mrs. Dodenciu kindly helped with the process by preparing softened egg cartons at home. She broke them up, mixed them with water and blended them into a pulp. In the session, each child took a handful, squeezed out the excess water and pressed the pulp into cookie cutters to form their chosen shapes.
To extend the learning, the children also experimented in our outdoor classroom, making their own pulp by tearing up recycled paper and mixing it with water. It was a fantastic hands-on experience that showed how everyday waste can be transformed into something beautiful.
The decorations are now drying and we can’t wait to see the lovely Christmas cards the children will create! We ended the session on a sweet note with hot chocolate topped with snowman marshmallows, keeping the festive theme alive.
What a wonderful way to celebrate creativity, sustainability and teamwork!
