When the pandemic and its resultant lockdown began in March, Jodie Marsh-Hoffman thought about the children across the world. They can’t play outside. The lockdown was going to be a challenge for the adults; let alone the children. She wanted to do something to keep them engaged.
“When I was a child I used to watch the show Art Attack all the time,” she says from the UK. “I loved making things from the show, but also just watching how things were made. I found it so peaceful to watch. I remember making a backpack from a cereal box. Which was great to play with afterwards, pretending I was on an adventure with my recycled backpack.”
Jodie, started her own YouTube channel along the lines of Art Attack. In the channel, she teaches children how to convert trash into art. “My channel has reached out to roughly 850+ parents/children during the lockdown.”
Jodie, a professional theatre artist, had been fascinated with recycled art since a visit to South Africa as a child. Occasionally, she makes props for her play from these recyclable materials. “I love making props from junk. I have made many junk props for storytelling pieces. It is a brilliant, low cost way to bring stories to life.”
“The junk items that are used and discarded the most include toilet rolls, cereal boxes, plastic bottles, plastic milk containers and old socks/fabric. All of these are amazing for arts and crafts. There is so much to make out of these reusable items.”
Jodie is going to host a live art and craft session every Saturday from August 15 to September 12 at 3.30 pm. You can register for it here .
How to make binoculars from junk
First step: Decorate two toilet rolls. (I like decorating them in a rainbow!)
Second step: Stick them together.
Third step: Take a sharp pencil and put a hole in the outer, upper left hand toilet roll and do the same on the outer, upper right hand toilet roll.
Step four: Tie a piece of string round both holes, that’s long enough to wear around the neck.
