Recently, a customer  shared with us a project she worked on with her  young students. We love to hear from our teachers in the community and appreciate them thinking of us to purchase their classroom supplies! Great work!

“My name is Megan and I am a teacher in the Sweet Gum classroom at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. Sweet Gums are ages 3-5 and we are an outdoor forest and nature school. We take two hikes during our days at school, rain or shine! A fellow teacher uses a walking stick to get around on hikes. Some Sweet Gum students were interested in this and we decided that we should make our own! I stopped in at the Resource Exchange towards the end of the project to decorate their sticks with. I loved visiting and was so delighted with the things I purchased, the staff  helped me find many things and were happy to hear the reciprocity in me sending out what we are doing with the materials in the classroom and the Resource Exchange showing support!”

“The process: We collected fallen Striped Maple tree branches and worked to carefully peel their bark back. After peeling back the bark, we sanded down the wood until it was smooth like butter. After sanding, we began to paint the walking sticks and finally decorate them using stickers, yarn, string, twine, sewing needles to loop beads onto the string, bells and other loose parts–purchased at the Resource Exchange! “

“After completing the sticks, we took a huge walk together with them. A lot of reattaching was needed but the students were SO proud! We then visited an exhibit features at the Schuylkill Center called Walking the Edge which involved art made from the borders and boundaries of Philadelphia–and featured a walking stick! Full circle! (:” 

“Thank you so much for what you do, making art supplies more accessible and affordable for the Philadelphia community!”

Thank you Megan for helping  the environment through education and creative reuse!