How to Get Free Paper!
ASKING FOR DONATIONS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES
A few tips when asking for donations of any kinds of materials:
1. When calling local businesses, always begin by introducing
yourself, telling about your program and informing them you are
an early childhood educator!
2. Remember that the worst thing that can happen when you ask
for something is that they say no.
3. Upon receipt of your donations, always always always follow
up with a THANK-YOU note as well as a photo or two of the children
using the donated item(s).
4. Always offer to come and pick the items up yourself
5. If they give you a time to come and pick things up, get there
early! They are saving for you what they might consider trash…
arrive on time to pick it up and haul it out of there!
HOW TO GET FREE PAPER FOR YOUR ART PROJECTS
(A brief reminder – when doing art….the younger the child, the bigger the paper!)
1. Call a local architect and ask for a donation of recycled
blueprints. The paper is nice and big! The designs on one side
are every intriguing to some of the children in the class as well.
We will put it design side up on walls and tables and offer magnifying
glasses for deeper, in-depth exploration of the designs. Put it
design side down and you have lots of paper for your art opportunities
as well.
2. Call your local newspaper, community paper, penny saver publication,
etc, and ask, “When is end-roll pick up day?” The end roll
of newspaper paper is too small for the large machines but is still a
lot of paper for your class!
3. Call the local print shop and ask about poster board or/and
cardstock end-rolls, again, like the newspaper rolls, it’s
too small for the machines but lots of paper for you!
4. While on the phone with the print shop, ask if they generate
large amount of scrap cardstock or poster board from custom projects.
If so, ask if you can haul that away too for them.
5. Every December we haunt the local office supply stores, stationery
stores, Staples, Office Max and Office Depots for desk calendars
that are about to expire. Like the blueprints, it’s nice
big paper and because the dates were printed on the front the
whole lot of them are usually destined for the dumpster!
6. Recycled newspaper is an excellent form of art paper! As grown
ups we might want new clean crisp white paper but the children
will paint and create on any surface… offer newspaper at
the easels to vary the kind of paper used for art projects.
©2002 Ooey Gooey, Inc.
Lisa Murphy www.ooeygooey.com (800) 477-7977
Ooey Gooey® and The Ooey Gooey Lady® are registered trademarks of Ooey Gooey Inc. All rights reserved.
All workshop titles and articles written by Lisa Murphy are © Lisa Murphy, Ooey Gooey, Inc. Rochester, New York.
For more information call Ooey Gooey, Inc. 800-477-7977, www.ooeygooey.com
Ooey Gooey, Inc.
3265 East Ave.
Rochester, NY 14618
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