In my house right now I could list so many things that I would consider loose parts. Most of them are things that have been reclaimed or recycled and all of them can be used for something useful, creative or educational.
Egg Cartons
Most people eat eggs or use them in baking. Cartons for these eggs are made of cardboard, styrofoam or plastic. The fact that they are commonly used makes them a great loose part for things like seed starters or crafts.
As an educational tool, fill egg carton spaces with four of anything. This becomes a game called Mancala. https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-play-mancala-409424
Toilet Paper, Paper Towel and Gift Wrap rolls
The uses for these are endless. After our community had a wildfire, all the craft supplies at my place of work had to be thrown away. It was July and we had to run a summer camp where 30 kids made a craft each day. We had to come up with crafts that were cheap and easy to make. We used these rolls, as many staff had some at home, to make so many different crafts. Below is a craft I enjoy making using these rolls.
Toilet paper rolls and wrapping tubes are great as building blocks for kids. They can use them to make towers, marble or car ramps and even to create musical instruments
Plastic pop, juice and baby food lids
Many places that take recycling, will not take the plastic lids that go on them. Why not just wash and keep the lids? I made some lovely decorations this year to brighten up my garden before things began to flower.
The fact that these lids are always a variety of colours is great for teaching colour names, having children sort lids into colours and counting.
Bread Ties
I have been keeping bread ties for years. These ties are great for sticking to a tape roll so you don’t have to find the end. You can label and attach them to cords so you know which one you are unplugging. They can also help keep your phone cord from falling on the floor if you tape one to a table or counter.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to nanny for a set of twins for six months. They were 12 months when I started watching them. As they got stronger fine motor dexterity and were interested in filling and dumping, I used the bread ties (supervised) to keep them busy. I had collected enough bread ties to fit a plastic peanut jar. I cut a hole in the jar lid and dumped the ties on the floor. After showing them how to insert the tie into the slot in the lid, they repeated it over and over again.
Buttons and Beads
There are extra buttons on almost every buttoned shirt sold and people often have necklaces break. Why not keep the buttons and beads to make something down the road? These items are often available for purchase at thrift stores as well.
Buttons area great sorting tool but being so small, children would have to be past the putting things into the mouth stage or be closely supervised to use them as an educational tool.
Scrap fabric, felt pieces or yarn
Often we will choose to throw away a stained piece of clothing without thinking about what else it could be used for. If felt is used for something, the smaller pieces get thrown out. Ribbon gets bought for one gift and then discarded thinking it has no further use. My mother recently gave me a box of her scrap material and I already have a number of ideas for it.
All these materials can be used to create other things; crafts for kids and adults alike.
Different materials are great for infants. You can create a fabric bin with different textures of fabric using an empty wipes container. Babies learn through their senses and they are always touching and tasting everything.
Scrap wood
This is a new type of recycling for me. Spending time in the garage and seeing different kinds of wood pieces, I am realizing that scrap wood is not something you throw away. It can be used in different ways and for different projects until it is quite small.
Wood is always great for children to use as building blocks. Just make sure that the wood is sanded down and does not have any stain on it.
Puzzle Pieces
How often have you made a puzzle and you are down to only a few pieces left when you realize that one or two pieces are missing? Should you throw the puzzle away? NO!!
If you aren’t a crafty person donate it to a thrift store or daycare and put a note on it that it is missing a piece but would be great for crafts.
Puzzles are great for kids even when there is a piece or two missing. Always get them to start with the side pieces then look for matching colours. I find it amazing how many children I have come across have never been told those two things and how they struggle when making puzzles.
Old Maps
If you have ever been a member of CAA, you probably got some free maps when you went on vacation. Those maps make wonderful wrapping paper. You could also use them to make paper gift bags, coasters, or book marks.
Pinecones and Acorns
I was lucky enough to have a box of various pine cones and acorns given to me by my mother in-law. They live in an area where they are plentiful. Any natural loose part is a great addition to any home decor or craft project.
If you can find a variety of pine cones, they become a great teaching tool. You can show children the different types of tree that each comes from, have the children sort them by size and talk about how seeds are dispersed and replanted elsewhere.
Cheaply bought craft supplies
Things like coffee filters, popsicle sticks and paper plates are things that are cheaply bought but have so many uses. People often buy them and don’t use all of them so they are donated to thrift shops.
If you give a child a variety of cheaply bought materials, you will be surprised what they can create with them.
Metal Loose Parts
There are so many loose parts in the garage or in a junk drawer. These items would be things like nails, bolts, screws, hinges, and many others. I haven’t really used these too often but I do have some ideas.
You can get a child to hammer some golf tees into some styrofoam and work their way up to tapping a nail already started in some wood. You can have latches and locks with keys attached to a board and have them try to open them. This is an example of a busy board I found on Etsy. I made one a few years ago and it had many of these things on it.
After writing this post, I feel a bit like a hoarder of loose parts. Luckily, many of the things I am “hoarding” can be recycled in our blue boxes or donated at any time if I feel like I have too much.
What loose parts do you save and what do you use them for??
Wow! Great ideas!,