Halloween trash to treasure

Before you toss that disinfectant wipes container, consider converting it into a learning tool. Cut a cardboard picture of Scooby Doo and an opening for his mouth on both Scooby and the container.

Hot glue the cartoon character to the inverted container (so it opens on the bottom for easy removal of the foam candy corn with letters printed on them).

I cut up a decorative party bag and wrapped it around the container.

I chose the foam pieces because children strengthen small hand finger/thumb muscles turning over the pieces to discover which letter they will "feed" Scooby.




After the holidays you can pick up plastic or flannel backed table cloths (with repeating designs) at discount prices to make an over-sized matching game. Cut the table cloth in half and hot glue it to a large piece of cardboard which can be obtained at Sam's Club or Costco for free. They are placed between layers of boxed goods.

Next, take the other half of the table cloth and cut the sections apart. I mount them on poster board weight paper and cover the paper backing with wide packing tape, so they don't stick to the DOUBLE SIDED Clear tape which I stretch across each row so the pieces don't move around or fall off.

This matching game can be used standing up or on the floor. The children have to decide which position to place each section in, sometimes the pictures are positioned sideways or upside down, so the children have to do some reasoning.

I am a bit of a stinker. I pick up the board when they are finished and "accidentally" drop it so some of the pieces fall off, and they work it again :)

I hope you can start thinking REUSE instead of reFuse (trash).