I've been bit by the scrapbooking bug lately. Not because I have a lot of pictures of friends and family that sit in boxes on a shelf, most of my photos are of my animals. (Which are more like children to me!) I have taken a fancy to the different types of scrapbooking materials, and coming up with ways to use them as learning materials. You do have to be mindful of the small pieces, because some can pose a choking hazard. However, for the most part, materials can be put together to create unique learning materials that are durable and theme oriented.

Colored Papers and Cardstock: I love using colored paper to print off signs, notes, or create borders for bulletin boards. You can also use the colored papers to print off outlines of your alphabet fonts and cut out to use on your bulletin boards. The example below will demonstrate how that works.

Buttons: I have a great collection of buttons started that are different colors, shapes and sizes. I found that Walmart (and other online stores) carry packages of colored buttons. I thought these would make great counters or markers for bingo games! The colored buttons, if you have enough of each color, would be great for color and size sorting.

Brads, fasteners, other embellishments: These items can be used for creating little books, and jointed dolls, etc. Please keep in mind that these are tiny pieces, and should not be used with children without supervision.

Stickers: Stickers are wonderful for incentives, creating learning / matching games, bingo games, and sorting projects. Stickers are relatively inexpensive and the options for use are endless.

Book Rings: Book rings are great for making little books, fastening flash cards, etc.