What you’ll need •Paper•Pens•Aselectionofbroken,

tornorstainedclothing,itemsandaccessories,1perpersonplusafewextra

•Strongglue•1pieceofsandpaper•Astapler•Ducttape•2pairsoffabricscissors•3or4needles•Thread(anycolour),

3or4rolls

What you’ll get out of it •Discoverhowtorepair

differentmaterials.•Userepairtools.•Usecreativityand

innovationtoupcycleitems.

Live smart

Skill

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ilder

Mend, reuse, recycle, upcycle?

60 mins

Stage

6

©Girlguiding2018Registeredcharitynumber306016.

•Bicarbonateofsoda•Whitevinegar•2oldtoothbrushes•Aselectionofbuttons,

beads,zips,fabricpatchesoranyotherdecorations

•Protectivegloves(optional)•PVAglue(optional)

Aim of activity Whythrowawaysomethingthat’sbrokenwhenyoucanmenditanduseitagain?Putyourrepairskillstowork,saveyourpenniesandcreatesomethingnewallatonce.

Live smart Mend, reuse, recycle, upcycle? March 18.indd 1 25/04/2018 16:32

Stay safe•Takeyourtimewhenusingtools,

don’tgetdistracted,andmakesurethere’splentyofspacearoundyou.

•Whencarryingtools,walk,andpointthemdownwards.

•Followthesafetyprecautionsandinstructionsonthegluepackaging.Youmayneedventilation,oryoumayneedtoweargloveswhenapplyingit.Checkthedryingtime.

Note to leaderIncludeavarietyofitems,likeshoes,handbags,accessoriesorclothes,andaddanyotherrepairtoolsyouwant.Girlscanbringinitemstheynolongerneedfromhomeforthisactivity.

What to doYourleaderwillputsomeitemsthatneedfixinginthemiddleofthespace.

Withoutlooking,chooseone.

Identifytheproblemwithyourobject.Isitstained?Ripped?Canitbefixed?

Choosefromthesethreeoptions:

•Can’t be fixed, recycle it:Howandwhereshouldyourecycleyouritem?Shoulditgoinahouseholdrecyclingbin,inspecialistbinsortoacharityshop?

•Can be fixed, mend it:Usethematerialstofixitandmakeitasgoodasnew.

•Could be something new, upcycle it:Haveagoatrepurposingtheitem–usethetoolsyourleaderhaslaidouttomakeitintosomethingthateitherlooksgood,hasanewpurpose,orboth.

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Ifyouhaveanitemthatcan’tbefixed,picksomethingelsefromthepileuntilyouhavesomethingyoucanmendorupcycle.Makesureyourecyclethefirstthingthough!

Beforeyougetstartedonyourupcyclingandfixing,lookatthe

mendingtoolsyouhaveanddecidewhichtouse.Herearesomehelpfulhints:•Ducttapeisdurablebutunattractive.•Smallitemscanbejoinedbystitching.

Gooverthestitchesafewtimestomakethemstronger.

•Avinegarandbicarbonateofsodapastecanremovestubbornstains.Useatoothbrushtoworkitinifneeded.

Try it this wayWhenupcycling,youcancreatesomethingbrandnew.Adamagedbraceletcouldbeturneditintoakeychain,bookmarkorbelt.Turnatornpairoftrousersintoapurseorhat,abrokentoyintoahairaccessoryoratatteredbookintoamemorybox.Useyourimagination!

Wheneverything’sbeenmended,gatherasagroupandshoweach

otheryourcreations.Dideveryonedealwithrepairsinthesameway?

Take it further Tryrepairingorupcyclingsomeofyourownthingsathome.Holdasurgerysessionwherefriendsandfamilycanbringyoutheirbroken,stainedortornitems.Oratyournextunitmeeting,visitacharityshopwitha£5budget,upcyclewhatyoubuyandre-donateyourupcycleditems.

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Live smart Mend, reuse, recycle, upcycle? March 18.indd 2 25/04/2018 16:32