Saving trees - art paper...

The thing about toddlers starting out with art - crayons, chalk, paint, (food!), whatever ... is that they are not in the least bit discerning when it comes to what they draw/paint on. The finest, smoothest, crease-less, specialty, oxygen bleached, superior, high quality, heavy weight, copy paper has a baby care factor of zero. 

Furthermore, our experiences have indicated that we can be dealing with a very short attention span until the paper is efficiently ripped or torn away from any masking tape or the like holding it in place and discarded. We can go through a fair bit in one sitting!! Note: from an OT perspective, the ripping is an equally beneficial part of the activity, working on pincer grasp strength and hand coordination... so 'rip away' if you so desire! :-)

So, in the name of facilitating art and saving trees and money, here's a little starter pack of ideas (not all yet implemented by our little munchkin, but we certainly will open up the possibilities over the coming weeks)...

* chalk on concrete ground outside,

* paint brush with water on fence,

* shaving cream/foam on 'next to new' aluminum foil,

* crayons, paints, etc... on torn apart cereal boxes, packing cardboard etc (check the recycling box), 

* paint on recycled jars/bottles,
* paint on newspaper,

* chalk on blackboards,

* sticks/tan bark/ fingers on dirt/ sand,
* crayons on strips of masking tape (on highchair tray) which can then be ripped up (Thanks for the idea, Janet!)

* crayons, paints, etc on... (clean!) paper wrapped which was wrapped around deli produce - which already comes in a plastic bag...

What other tree saving ideas are out there for a toddler's crayon fun and creativity?