In my local library, they have an AccuCut machine and some dies to use with it. It is FREE to use – you just bring in your own paper. You may also be able to use foam sheets, magnet paper, wallpaper scraps, etc. My library has the shape of Michigan (including the Upper Peninsula, which many times prepackaged shapes do not include), music notes, big letters, some animals, vehicles, paper dolls and more. When was the last time you visited your library? Make sure you look – and if you don’t see one, ask!

My nearest scrapbooking store also has an AccuCut which customers can use for Free – mainly for use by scrapbookers, but if you have things to scrap, or need to buy a sheet of scrapbook paper, that’s always helpful. (Plus, they have a clearance table.)

I purchased a Sizzix machine in the Fall of 2006, on sale, and I found some dies at a resale shop (very inexpensive – what a find!). We have been having fun seeing all the neat things we can do with it. One of the projects my dd did was to make her best friend’s birthday card & decorations for the wrapping paper. Another scrapbook store has a Sizzix machine & some dies people can use while they are at a crop. This particular store seems to have lots of crops (they also have an AccuCut + dies) due to the amount of tables – pretty much have of this store is the crop area.

For game making, these die cut machines are neat because you can use whatever colored paper you have on hand (not limited to the colors on prepackaged shapes), make as many as you want/need per game.
More about AccuCut: AccuCut machines can cut anything scissors can cut–faster and easier.
Make an Accordian Fold Apple Book (see number 5)
Slow As A Turtle Poster – Create a quick and fun poster to introduce similes
A Paper-Cut Collage Lesson Plan – inspired by the works of Henri Matisse
How to Use Curriculum-Based Die-Cut Projects to Stimulate Learning

If television is allowed in the house – does your child have a favorite show? Watch it with them, see what it’s about and talk about the show afterward. Ask them questions such as who is the main person on the show, what does the character do, what would you do if he came over for the day, what is that character’s favorite kind of food (which may bring your child into the kitchen and help make it) — or pretend that the character will come visit for a day and make what food they’d like, plan some games they might like to do, (as much as I dislike Pokemon – it does have an educational value, you just have to find it); if not a favorite show – then a favorite movie or book, even have your child write a letter to their favorite character and tell that character about themselves and what they like to do (wow, maybe you can even “mail” it for them, and have the character write them back — of course, that would be you typing a letter back to your child as that character, corresponding with your child, and even if your child figures out that it’s you – you both may have fun doing that and pretending it’s that character). That all may help gently lead your child into wanting to learn. It could just be that finding things your kids might be interested in is easier than one would believe.

I thought I would share with everyone how we get a large portion of our paper for FREE. There is a small business a couple miles away that trashes large amounts of paper including partial portions of fax paper rolls (great for timelines, art projects and even home-made wrapping paper). The secretary at this company puts aside the paper that is blank or used on one side – paper that is wrinkled or mis-printed and she gives this to paper to us for FREE. It helps them recycle and it helps us by allowing us to keep our good paper for special projects. This is something many schools have been forced to do recently but we’ve have chosen to do this all along to save money – the few dollars a reem of paper certainly adds up over the course of a school year. I’m sure many of you have thought of this – especially those of you with businesses of your own but I thought I’d share just in case.