Do You Limit Paper?

[KiddieCahoots]

I ration the paper to each child.
They can chose to use all of their ration, or not. Most often they don't, and want to move on to the next activity. I figure that helps with self regulation skills.

[KSDC]

I have a big box of old copy paper. The kind that has the tear off strips on the sides for feeding it through the old printers. A local office supply store had a box in the back room that had never sold. She sold it to me at a HUGE discount. That is the paper that my kids get for free drawing. I let them have as much as they want - as long as they are actually using it.

They have to take their time and actually draw some thing, or fill it in with scribbles for the younger munchkins. I won't do one scribble on a page.

[My3cents]

Kind of a petty issue but my dcks love to draw. I don't mind a bit, I encourage it. But I have 1 kid in particular who I'm always catching crumpling up their picture because it 'wasn't coming out right'. He's a perfectionist. I finally convinced him to turn it over and draw on the other side. So now instead of going through 25 sheets of paper a day he's maybe going through 10. He had plans to make something today and was cutting through 7 layers of paper. I got right on his case about it only because of his history of wasting paper. Then I felt bad.
I buy the cheapest copy paper at Walmart. But if every single one of the 8 dcks used 10 sheets a day.....
And we do recycle. I think it's just his attitude about it that I don't like. He sees nothing wrong with wastefulness as long as we recycle.
sigh, guess I'm from an entirely different era where one appreciates what they have and don't just throw it all away.

I use the walmart paper too and get paper from all different sources. I save the colored good construction paper for art projects and I pretty much do what you all are dong too. I ask parents to bring it in if they have any and I keep a scrap tub of stuff still good for smaller projects and free art- I love art and encouraging the kiddo's young to experiment with art. I don't get shook about the waste because to me it is not waste, but then again I don't allow one line on a paper and move onto another paper. Some kids try it! LOL
I use color books too- I also have the cheap notebook paper that you get at the start of school and they can play office or what not with it. I throw it out when it gets filled up. Sometimes they will do one or two lines like they are taking an order and in those notebooks that is ok, but we use them till they are good and used.

[My3cents]

Kind of a petty issue but my dcks love to draw. I don't mind a bit, I encourage it. But I have 1 kid in particular who I'm always catching crumpling up their picture because it 'wasn't coming out right'. He's a perfectionist. I finally convinced him to turn it over and draw on the other side. So now instead of going through 25 sheets of paper a day he's maybe going through 10. He had plans to make something today and was cutting through 7 layers of paper. I got right on his case about it only because of his history of wasting paper. Then I felt bad.
I buy the cheapest copy paper at Walmart. But if every single one of the 8 dcks used 10 sheets a day.....
And we do recycle. I think it's just his attitude about it that I don't like. He sees nothing wrong with wastefulness as long as we recycle.
sigh, guess I'm from an entirely different era where one appreciates what they have and don't just throw it all away.

forgot to add for your perfectionist, teach him to use an eraser and pencil. or erasable pen.

[Shell]

My area is home to a HUGE paper company. They print a majority of paper for magazines such as Playboy and Reader's Digest.

Everyone who lives here has at one time or another toured the paper mill to see where paper comes from and how it's made.

Lucky me....I have a couple DCP's that work there.

They bring me GIANT rolls of paper so we do have an endless supply.

The rolls look like this:



but when I get them, they look like this: (only about 3 feet long and definitely more moveable...LOL! )

Wow! That's convenient! I had a parent (architect) that would give me old building plans that were pretty neat. The kids were a little young at the time to appreciate the designs and measurements, but it was cool anyway.

[KiddieCahoots]

Oh hey! I don't know why I didn't think of this before......
Do you have a local recycle store?
I do, and you can find tons of free paper and other neat items to use for crafts. The great thing too, the supply is always changing, depending on what the public donates.