Official Kids Mag

By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag For the 5th year in a row, local kids took part in a very special environmental art contest. It's an activity that's helping to spread the word about recycling and taking care of our earth. The contest is called TOSSED and it's all about making works of art out of things other people have "tossed." Some may call it "trash," but these kids have proven that it's "treasure." These inventive artists are our heroes this month, not only because they have made beautiful works of art from litter, but also because they helped clean up our earth! The hands-on recycling/art project begins with kids scavenging for materials by picking up litter around the community, using items from their recycle bin, and repurposing found objects. To assemble their sculpture, they may use glue, wire, staples nails, etc. They may add finishing touches on by painting their sculptures—putting their imagination and creativity to the test! According to Benton County Fair TOSSED Superintendent Linda Simpson, it's more than just an overnight craft project. For some, it takes weeks to complete their sculpture. And the results are incredible! "First, they have to gather materials by collecting litter and hunting for the perfect objects," Linda explains. "Then, they have to come up with original ideas and figure out how to build the sculptures while following the rules—the sculptures may not go over maximum size or weight and must be able to be moved from one location to another." Linda is always amazed at the creativity the kids put into their TOSSED sculptures. She says, "they are judged on unique creativity and the variety of litter materials used to make the sculpture. More is better!" Every year, the contest gets more popular. That's great, Linda says, not only because more kids are having fun, but also because it makes more people aware of the need to recycle. This year's sculptures were displayed at the Benton County Fair where everyone could see them and their ribbons. All participants were awarded prizes thanks to the wonderful sponsors. Did you go the Benton County Fair this year? Did you see these amazing sculptures? Let's look at some of the award-winning projects and hear what the artists have to say. "Tossed" is sponsored by Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee and Farmers Protective Mutual Insurance amelia age 10 "Jingle the skiing Penguin" 1st place, Youth Division Jingle wears an egg carton hat and a beak made from a Styrofoam cup painted orange. His body is a juice bottle, his skis are made from a slime kit box, and his poles from chopsticks and Glade refill cups. "I was inspired by the soda lid; it looked like it had a penguin face on it. The best part was making the stocking cap with the tassel on top. It is important to reuse and recycle, to protect the earth." - Amelia Logan age 11 "avengers" 4th place, Youth Division Logan transformed recycled Amazon boxes and string from old clothes into Thor's hammer and Captain America's shield. "I got the idea because I like watching Marvel movies, and the project was fun, especially the painting. It's a good idea to recycle and reuse things to help the environment and save money by not having to buy expensive toys. It also allows me to be creative!" - Logan elijah age 10 "Fighter Jet" 3rd place, Youth Division Elijah's bullet casing jet features rusty #10 can wings, bottle cap exhaust and a soda can window. "I came up with the idea because I once saw a really cool military airplane. It was fun hiking in the mountains and picking up all the discarded bullet casings. I liked gluing the casings together and watching it take the shape of the jet. Littering is bad, and destroys animal habitats." - Elijah Berkley age 9 "Baum Walker stadium with tailgate tents" 2nd place, Youth Division The base of Berkley's impressive sculpture is made from a washing machine box, painted with parking spots and walkways. The Styrofoam stadium is painted to look like bricks. There's a cardboard scoreboard with glass dropper lights, popsicle stick baseball players, and stadium lights made of straws and bottle caps. There are even green plastic bags in the trash cans with trash inside of them. "This is one of my favorite projects. We recycle all year, but I have fun picking out special pieces that I want to use for this project. We also put in a large compost garden this year. I was excited to donate my leftover recycling to the Amazeum." – Berkley You may e-mail simpsongals@centurytel.net for additional information www.officialKidsMag.com • NoVeMBer 2022 • 27

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