Magazines.
Advertisements in the mail.
Old cards.
These are the things that pile up on our kitchen table, and yet I hesitate to just toss away. After all, they may hold some use, even if the ads are for things we don’t want…
When the pile starts to spill over, and I have a few minutes to spare, I snip away at the pictures and toss them into a big Ziplock bag. It’s perfect for a rainy day activity when I’m not feeling particularly creative.
Today we pulled out the big pad of art paper and made beautiful collages.
The kids had a blast sorting through all the pictures in the bag. (And, of course, glue sticks are always fun to use!)
Sometimes I pull out stickers to add to the collages. Or they use markers. Today we just glued.
Have older kids?
Have them search through the magazines and create a collage of things they’d like to do this summer, places they’d like to visit one day, or pictures that have to do with a career they are interested in.
Want to make it more educational?
Fold construction paper in half and punch holes in it. Tie it together to form a book and creat your own ABC book with your toddler/preschooler. 
What else have you done with old magazines/ads?
Mary says
Just to let you know that I voted for you. It was obvious that a vote had gone through on the ‘On The Fence’ but I couldn’t tell on the Top Mommy Blogs. I’ll have to try it again tomorrow and see if I can figure it out. On the magazines: I don’t have any great new ideas, just to say that it’s hard for me to through away things like National Geo’s or Audubon calendars with great pictures. I wish you lived nearby, I’d give them to you for your kids. I don’t think most people do these easy, great crafts anymore. A lot of kids don’t even know how to use scissors when they start school.
OneMommy says
Oh, I know how hard it is to pitch Nat. Geo. magazines! When I taught I collected them and they hung around for years.
My oldest sometimes cuts out the pics herself – good scissor practice. The youngest still thinks he needs 2 hands to use scissors – we’re working on it!
Thanks so much for voting! Off to check out your latest post!
Kristen says
My girls like to go through and cut out photos of food for when they play “restaurant”. They create menus with them. So much fun!
OneMommy says
I love that! Definitely will have to keep that in mind as the kids get older. I know we have quite a few food pics in our collection so far!
Christy says
I used to cut out magazine pictures when I was younger! I miss doing stuff like that and I bet if I did it now I could probably make something pretty cool. I have tons of magazines that I have collected over the years and I’m sure my son and I will do fun projects when he gets older 🙂
OneMommy says
I haven’t tried anything crafty myself with them…. I might need to try that one day.
You have some pretty pics in your newest post about room colors!
Donna says
I’ve made collages, and they’re fun and unique. I’ve taken cards people have sent and made them into boxes or envelopes. I like your idea of collecting the pics and saving them. Brilliant really.
OneMommy says
I have a cute Christmas craft using old cards to make ornaments – can’t wait to try it out this year. I love your idea of making envelopes from them!