New in The Re-Source

When you hear the name George Lucas, images of Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader may come to mind. But there's much more to Mr. Lucas than making wonderful movies. Twenty years ago, the famous filmmaker decided to turn his attention to improving education, and he established a foundation called Edutopia. We'll link you to the organization's Web site and tell you about a wonderful, green resource they provide.

As we all know by now, cars and busses are not environmentally friendly, because they burn fossil fuels, and many of them have exhaust systems that pollute the air. The Walk to School Day is an effort to cut down on fuel consumption and pollution, and we'll link you to the event's official site.

Halloween will be here before you know it, and in this issue we have a simple solution for coming up with a new costume. The idea will help save money, natural resources, and energy, and it can keep materials out of the landfill. We'll also show you how to use your imagination to draw a Halloween creature.

You'll be amazed by the artwork featured in an article about professional artists who create their work from scrap materials and items most people throw away. Déjà vu Art and Fine Craft Show will be held in November, and we hope some of you will attend. Finally, in the Leftovers section, we have a tip about preparing cans and glass so they can be more easily recycled.

What's In This Issue

Walk to School Day
Celebrate a Green Halloween
Create a Newspaper Monster
Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show
Leftovers:
An Imagination Factory Fun Fact

Fall 2011

Walk to School Day

On October 5th, kids and teachers around the world will observe Walk to School Day. In the United States alone, there were more than 3,500 events registered last year. To get your school and community involved, click here: http://www.walktoschool.org/.

However, you don't have to register in order to take part. Just do your own thing, and ride your bike or walk to school that day. This event is good for you, and it's great for Mother Earth, because you won't be riding in a car or bus and consuming precious resources.

Celebrate a Green Halloween

Halloween has become one of the most popular American holidays, and while we usually associate it with the colors black and orange, there are several things you can do to celebrate it in a green or environmentally friendly way.

Several years ago, some concerned parents decided to encourage people to celebrate Halloween with a National Costume Swap Day. As the name suggests, the idea of the swap is to get together with others and exchange costumes.

This allows you to trade a Halloween outfit that you've outgrown for a better fitting one, or maybe you'd just like to "be someone else" this year. You can register for the "official" National Costume Swap Day that's set to take place on October 8th, but you can just trade costumes on your own without signing up for anything. Also, if you miss trading on this day, you have until October 31 to make the swap.

Tell your classroom teacher, scout leader, Sunday school teacher, or another adult about the program, and have him or her organize and set a date for the exchange. Trading costumes instead of buying new ones will save money, and it helps to conserve energy, natural resources, and landfill space.

Green Halloween is an online resource that offers many ideas for celebrating a more environmentally friendly holiday. You’ll find lots of recipes, recycled crafts, and party ideas that will help you have a fun celebration while saving Mother Earth.

by Marilyn J. Brackney

Newsletters Archived by Topic

The link above will allow access to dozens of Imagination Factory art activities and articles that appear in all newsletters.

Take the Carbon Challenge
Paper; Get Over It!
Green Your Plate
Connect with Earth Explorers
Envision Eco-Art
Move Smarter
Harness the Elements
Speak Up for the Planet
Water Projects Everywhere
Encourage Youth Action

Visit http://www.edutopia.org/think-green-classroom-resource-guide to download a PDF copy of the guide.

Edutopia: George Lucas' Foundation

If you've seen the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, then you're familiar with the name George Lucas. In 1991, the famous filmmaker established The George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Its purpose is to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools., and the organization's Web site, Edutopia, http://www.edutopia.org/ provides many resources for students and teachers.

One of its best is a document called the Think Green Resource Guide, and some of the topics covered include the following:

Leftovers: An Imagination Factory Recycling Fun Fact

It's OK to leave labels on recyclables, because they can be removed in the recycling process. However, food waste like grease and leftover peanut butter can ruin an entire batch of material, making it useless as far as recycling is concerned. Take a few minutes to rinse cans and bottles, and you'll be a big help to those who create new materials from your recyclables.

Draw a Newspaper Monster

Finding a large piece of paper on which to draw is as easy as looking through yesterday's newspaper, and the classified or sports section is perfect for this activity. Besides that, this is a great way to get started in drawing a Halloween picture.

You Will Need: Newspaper -- Black marker -- Crayons, oil pastels, or markers

How to:

Using a piece of newspaper with "tight print," such as a section of the want ads or sports scores, begin by finding the letter a and mark it with a dot. Now, in a nearby area, find the letter b, c, d, and so on, marking each with another dot. After you've gone through the entire alphabet spread across the page, connect the dots. Finally, connect the last dot to the first to make an enclosed shape.

Now you're ready to create a monster! Turn the paper, and look for the best area to use as a head. If necessary, add more shapes to create the feet and tail, and draw details such as teeth, eyes, and a mouth. Color the beast with crayons, oil pastels, or markers. Since this is an imaginary animal, use bright colors and designs to create your one-of-a-kind monster. Color the background to finish the picture.

Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show

On Saturday, November 19th, the public is invited to see an amazing art show featuring professional artists who reuse and recycle materials to create their work. Held at the new Commons, which is located at 3rd and Washington Streets in downtown Columbus, Indiana, Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show will run from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Nearly 50 artists, who reuse materials such as broken toys, china shards, and bicycle parts, will show collage, mosaics, jewelry, metal sculpture, fiber arts, and more.The Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District, Columbus Area Arts Council, Columbus Area Visitors Center, and Pentzer Printing, Inc. sponsor the annual show, which is held in celebration of America Recycles Day. The event is free and open to the public.