Official Kids Mag is specifically written for kids ages 5 to 12. It contains activities and stories ranging from kid heroes, cooking, gardening, STEAM, education, fun facts and much more every month.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1421075
By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag Our kid heroes this month are some amazing artist-environmentalists who took part in a very special kind of sculpture contest. This is the 4th year of the contest called "Tossed." It's a hands-on recycling project that involves transforming things other people have thrown away into beautiful, works of art! These kids are our heroes, not only because have they worked hard and put their creativity to the test, but also because they are taking real action on behalf or our environment. The projects start with kids picking up litter in their community or reusing materials they find at home. Benton County Fair TOSSED Superintendent Linda Simpson describes the process, "It's not an overnight craft project. First, they have to gather materials by collecting litter and hunting for the perfect objects. They have to come up with original ideas and figure out how to build the sculptures while staying within the guidelines (the sculptures have to be of a certain size, be able to be transported, use only certain extra materials--glue, paint, staples, etc.) It's a weeks-long and sometimes months- long commitment. And the results are amazing! Every year, we have more and more participants in the contest. Best of all, the contest is helping to spread awareness about recycling and taking care of our earth." Their amazing sculptures were displayed at this year's Benton County Fair for all to see. Being awarded prizes at the fair was an extra added bonus! Official Kids Mag would like to recognize these heroes for our environment! Read on to learn all about their process and their projects. And plan to join in the fun for next year's contest! 1. braylee, age 5, gravette gleamers 4-H Club – "Purple Princess Castle" "I had shoeboxes that I painted purple. I used egg cartons on the top. Then, I put the windows on there so they could see out. I cut out unicorns from my mac & cheese box. I got the idea from my princess shows. The best part was doing this with my grandma." 2. ella, age 6, Cave Springs 4-H Club – "bottle Cap Flower" "We found our materials in our family recycle bin and the bucket of bottle caps we've been collecting. I like flowers! I love when we have time to make crafts. It's a good idea to recycle and reuse things instead of throwing them away to keep outside clean!" 3. berkley, age 8, gravette gleamers 4-H Club - "Funny Farm" 1st place Junior Division "I got my materials from our recycle bins and other household things. My favorite animals were Razorback pig and the cow. I also liked making the water in my water trough—it was hot glue with blue mixed paint to look like water. My favorite part was trying to decide what faces to draw on the animals and what things to use for each animal. It's important to recycle so the landfills won't fill up and animals can survive without trash." 4. gabriel, age 7, bentonville – "big Hex – The All American robot" 2nd place Junior Division "I picked up litter on the bike trails in Park Springs Park. All the objects were found along Heroes for the environment 8 6 11 2 12 28 • NoVember 2021 • www.officialKidsmag.com