It's that time of year again, and everyone is looking for ideas. Parents need ideas for school projects, and teachers need new ways to create a stimulating classroom. If you have a roll of natural kraft paper at your disposal, count yourself lucky. With a roll of this versatile paper, you can provide interesting learning activities for your students while keeping your classroom costs down. Try these four ideas for making the most of kraft paper.
- Book Covers. In recent years, students have bought Lycra spandex book covers for their textbooks, not realizing that they can make their own out of kraft paper. Introduce your students to the art of making their own book covers. This is a great first-day-of-school activity because once they're done covering their books, they can decorate the covers to reflect their individual talents and personalities.
- Classroom Timeline. Since kraft paper comes in rolls, it’s perfect for making illustrative timelines. You can hang a long piece of paper up on your classroom wall and create a timeline to help your students place historical events in context. Timelines are helpful for a variety of different units, from geology and history to music and art. When timelines are large-scale, students can add their own projects to the timeline, making their learning interactive.
- Table or Desk Protection. Are you lucky enough to have new classroom furniture this year? Protect your furniture from paints, science chemicals, and cupcakes by covering it with kraft paper. Classroom parties are extra fun when students are allowed to autograph the "table cloths."
- Gift Wrap. When it's holiday time or Mother's Day, wrap your classroom-made gifts in kraft paper. Before the gifts are wrapped, students can decorate the paper. They can stencil it, paint it, draw on it with chalk, glue doilies, or show off their best handwriting skills. Their homemade kraft wrapping paper will be heartfelt, very sturdy, and inexpensive as well.
Kraft paper is an ideal classroom staple. It's practical, inexpensive, and very versatile. Stock up on it now. You'll be surprised how many uses you find for it throughout the school year. When you need something sturdy, with generous size proportions, and with plenty of room for your creativity, you'll have just the thing. We love to work with schools. For more information, contact us at Oren International.
