My DD is very into coloring right now...she happily draws people and pears (I know, she's goofy!) for long, long stretches of time. I love it. Copy-Cat Boy just scribbles aimlessly across many, many, many sheets of paper. At the end of the day (or the week; I am behind on cleaning up our downstairs playroom) I have TONS of paper with potato-esque people and/or random scribbles on it. Recycles is obviously one way to go; I save certain of DD's pictures (but omg there are literally HUNDREDS of them right now!) but what about other kids random scribbles? Recycle? Some other idea?

And what paper do you guys use for coloring? We've been buying packs of printer paper because it's pretty cheap and pretty durable, but even that is getting expensive with all the drawing DD is doing!

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I use easel rolls then use them for wrapping paper. You could tape the 8x11 papers together to make some too. or have them practice cutting out the pictures or tearing them out and make collages?

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Ooo, DCMom the practice cutting/tearing is a GREAT idea. Granted, I will end up with reams of taped/glued collages, but it's a start, lol. And a useful sort of activity.

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I live in a town that has a HUGE paper company (2 as a matter of fact) and I get the end of those big industrial size rolls of paper....they just toss them out but now they save them for any daycare that wants them. The rolls are GIGANTIC and last forever! Otherwise we also have bought plain copy paper cuz it is cheap.

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The school in my area will save it's recycled paper for daycares if they ask. They might have things on one side, but it could be educational for the children too. They could "play" school with "homework".

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fold them up into triangles and let them make paper snowflakes.

i did that last night with my own kids with scratch notebook paper - kept them busy all night. i did the folding and they did the cutting. i hadn't done it in a long time so i did a quick youtube search to see how to fold the paper the right way

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Qualiticare, that's a great idea, unfortunately, I think mine are too young for that! My DD is three and Copy Cat is 2.5...and a rather undextrous 2.5 at that! I would NOT give him scissors even to save my life! This is the kind of kid who still falls all over himself like a gangly little puppy and, as I learned this morning, can't carry a plate of food across the kitchen (it was only 2 graham crackers...) without spilling. I will save that idea for next year though!

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I give my 9 yr old a hole punch and whats left we shred and use for collages,.. I also use it for wrapping paper, for placemats, I cut full sheets in 1/4 and use for grocery lists, notes to parents and teachers, I have used them as the base for invitations, and cutting practice for my 2 and up group

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Our town newspaper company has the ends of their blank newspaper rolls that they give out free. For them it just goes to waste because there's too little paper for a whole newspaper (but I don't know how. It has a TON of paper still on it and lasts forever!). So they're always happy to give anyone the ends of their newspaper rolls for free. We use it for huge murals, wrapping paper, painting paper, you name it! And it just lasts and lasts! For the 2 1/2 yr old who likes to scribble on lots of paper, you could cut off the paper to fit the full size of your table and tape it to it, then give him crayons and let him go at it. Then you wouldn't have several smaller pieces of paper laying around. It'd be fewer and much larger pieces you could just fold up. You might ask your local newspaper if you could have their's. Again, it just goes to waste for them, so I'm sure they'd be happy to give it to you if you asked.

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My dh just brings home office paper that is going to be recycled ~ they use the back of it. Then we put it in a box and recycle it

Snipping paper and hole-punching are two favorite activities around here. I have paper punches in all sorts of shapes and sizes; they love them.

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