Workshops & Education
- Workshops at schools and festivals
- Eco-art workshops for preschoolers & parents
- School holiday eco-arts workshops
- Excursions to the Reverse Garbage warehouse - activity sheets
- Funding Acknowledgements
Practical and creative workshops in schools and at festivals
Reverse Garbage runs practical and creative workshops in schools for any year level. We work with you to design activities and themes that fit in with
your program. We also run professional development workshops for teachers.
Reverse Garbage specialises in eco-art workshops. Our skilled workshop facilitators develop sessions that are not only directly linked to curriculum outcomes, but provide students with an insight into issues of sustainability through a range of creative activities.
We teach students to make useful items using a range of interesting salvaged materials. For example, we work with primary school children to make musical instruments, masks, finger puppets, pencil holders and desk tidies, jewellery, fantasy creatures, junk robots, toys and mobiles.
In our secondary school program, we
work with students on creative projects such as kinetic art, sculpture, wearable art, assemblage,
installations, paper works (including books, cards and collage), printmaking, mosaic with alternative materials, jewellery-making, collaborative works and junk-IT, using salvaged computer components.
We also offer a full day workshop on wearable art and IT junk sculpture for secondary schools.
We run workshops for children and adults at festivals and other community events so please call Julie Hauritz on 3844 9744 to discuss your event.
Environmental and social sustainability
We run interactive workshops in schools for teachers or students on sustainability issues such as consumption, waste, consensus decision-making and co-operatives. We design these to fit with your SOSE or other curriculum.
Cost of workshops
The minimum charge for a school workshop is $150 for a two-hour workshop up to $400 for a full day workshop, not including materials and transport, which are additional costs.
A typical two-hour junk art workshop for 25 - 30 students in a Brisbane school costs $270 - $370 including materials and transport, depending on the materials you would like us to bring. If we need to bring a second Reverse Garbage staff member because of the number of students involved in the workshop, this costs an extra $50 per hour.
Information and bookings
For more information about workshops in schools or at festivals, please contact Julie or Stefanie at Reverse Garbage on 07 3844 9744, email or fax us. If you are emailing or faxing, you might like to use our workshop enquiry form.
Eco-art workshops for preschoolers and their parents
Reverse Garbage runs creative workshops designed for pre-schoolers (3-5yrs olds) and their parents/guardians to enjoy environmentally sustainable art making together.
The group is guided through an arts activity producing a toy or artwork to take home and treasure. With the focus on fun and basic waste education we spend the morning exploring unusual Reverse Garbage materials and textures. Although the class is structured with step-by-step instruction we allow the pre-schoolers' imagination to direct the outcome and so their learning is enriched through the enjoyment and satisfaction of making their own toys.
Spring Wacky Wednesday Program
8th September - SPRINGTIME MOBILES
Spring has sprung and what better way to celebrate than to create a beautiful mobile to hang in the home or garden. In this workshop children and parents will use plastic discs, fluff and fabrics to create elements of the seasons that will hang from their mobile.
6th October - ODD AND EVEN GAMES
Come along and create a fantastic game that teaches you the difference between odd and even numbers. By using a variety of industrial discards children and parents can create a fun and educational game, which will be sure to be a joyous past time.
20th October - ALPHABET BUTTERFLIES
Learning your ABC has never been so fun! In this workshop we will use rubber, cardboard and a variety of industrial discards to create an alphabet butterfly. This alphabet butterfly will display all the letters of the alphabet on its wings and will be a bright and easy way for children to recite the alphabet.
3rd November - BUILD A SPIDER
In this workshop we will learn all about spiders and their webs. Parents and children will assemble the body legs and head of the spider, using Reverse Garbage materials, which the facilitator will then stick down.
Workshops go for one hour from 12:30 - 1:30pm
The cost is $20 for parent and child.
Bookings are essential.
There is a maximum of five children and five adults per activity.
Workshops need to be paid in full upon booking to secure a place.
Fees are non-refundable.
Wacky Wednesday Workshops are held at Reverse Garbage,
296 Montague Rd, West End (cnr Ashington St).
Phone: 07 38449744
Email: info@reversegarbage.com.au
Stay tuned to our website or newsletter for notification of the next program. Alternatively you can email us and we will let you know when the next program will start.
School holiday eco-arts workshops
Each school holiday period Reverse Garbage has a jam packed line up of creative and educational workshops for primary school aged students.
Spring has sprung! The weather is warming up and there's fashion in the air and Reverse Garbage is all caught up in it! But we want to make fashion sustainable as well as fun so we're teaching the students to make their own hats, bags and jewellery out of salvaged materials! Of course these holidays Reverse Garbage will also run heaps of great fun workshops to make toys and artworks the kids will cherish for some time to come!
WEEK 1
Monday 20th September
Mythical Creatures (10.00am – 12.00pm) - Let your imagination run wild by creating your very own mythical creature. Using salvaged materials from industrial discards, children can create a mermaid, unicorn, or phoenix, which will inhabit their very own fantasy world.
Spring Fashion Hats (2:00pm - 4pm) – Spring has sprung and so has our latest fashion inspired exhibition in the Reverse Garbage gallery! So why not come and celebrate by designing your own fashionable hat, using salvaged materials.
Tuesday 21st September
Musical Instruments -(10.00am - 12.00pm)- Create your very own musical instrument to play along with the Reverse Garbage Band! In this workshop children will design and create a drum or rain stick using a variety of industrial discards.
Cute and Crazy Animals (2.00pm – 4.00pm) Spring has arrived and so have all the newborn baby animals. In this workshop children can create their very own cute furry animal, or they can design a crazy new species and discuss its contribution to the environment by using salvaged materials.
Wednesday 22nd September
Rocket Ships and Robots (2.00pm – 4.00pm) – An all time favourite workshop. This popular workshop brings to life the flights and fantasies of the future. Children will make their own model rocketship or robot with salvaged materials.
Thursday 23rd September
Puppets (10.00am– 12.00pm) – Come along and create your very own Pinocchio. In this workshop children will make their own hand or string puppet using a variety of salvaged materials.
Funky Bags (2.00pm - 4pm) Make your own funky bag to wear using simple weaving and construction methods with unique salvaged materials.
Friday 24th September
Dream Catchers (10.00am – 12.00pm) Let your dreams flourish with your very own beautiful dream catcher. By using weaving techniques participants will have the chance to create their very own dream catcher to hang above their beds to scare off the nightmares.
Totem Poles (2.00pm – 4.00pm)- Using salvaged materials children will have the chance to design and create their very own personal totem pole and discuss the significance of totems in native american and indigenous australian cultures.
WEEK 2
Monday 27th September
Rocket ships and Robots (10.00am – 12.00pm) – An all time favourite workshop. This popular workshop brings to life the flights and fantasies of the future. Children will make their own model rocketship or robot with salvaged materials.
Discover Dinosaurs (2.00pm– 4.00pm) – Create your own model dinosaur to roar and terrorize your toy box! Using salvaged materials your dinosaur might be discovered as a new species!
Tuesday 27th September
Dream Catchers (10.00am - 12.00pm) Let your dreams flourish with your very own beautiful dream catcher. By using weaving techniques participants will have the chance to create their very own dream catcher to hang above their beds and scare away the nightmares.
Puppets (2.00pm – 4.00pm) – Come along and create your very own Pinocchio. In this workshop children will make their own hand or string puppet using a variety of salvaged materials
Thursday 30th September
Mythical Creatures (10.00pm – 12.00pm) – Let your imagination run wild by creating your very own mythical creature. Using salvaged materials from industrial discards, children can create a mermaid, unicorn, or phoenix which will inhabit their very own fantasy world.
Fast Cars and Groovy Wheels (2.00pm – 4.00pm) - Design your own model car, built for speed. Children will look at how to create a pattern for a 3D form using salvaged paper and a variety of other salvaged materials.
Friday 1st October
Funky Junk Jewellery (10.00am – 12.00pm) – Exploring alternative construction methods with unexpected materials, participants will have an opportunity to create their own unique jewellery pieces.
Totem Poles (2.00pm – 4.00pm)- Using salvaged materials children will have the chance to design and create their very own personal totem pole and discuss the significance of totems in native american and indigenous australian cultures.
All children's workshops are $20 per person and include materials. They are open to children aged 6 to 12 years. Maximum of 10 participants per workshop. To secure a place, workshops must be paid in full upon booking, in store or by credit card over the phone. Fees are non-refundable.
School holiday workshops are held at Reverse Garbage, 296 Montague Rd, West End (cnr Ashington St).
Phone: 07 38449744
Email: info@reversegarbage.com.au
Excursions to the Reverse Garbage warehouse
A visit to the Reverse Garbage warehouse is like an archeological exploration into our consumer society. The warehouse hosts an inspiring collection of low-cost, interesting materials.
For a small fee Reverse Garbage staff member will run a short educational talk with your group, about waste, the problems with landfill and what we do, we can also tailor the talk for your group. Excursions can be scheduled between 9.30am and 4pm, Monday to Wednesday.
We have activity sheets for years 1 - 3 and years 4 -7 which you are welcome to print for your class and bring along.
Cost of excursions
The warehouse is open freely to the public and to groups who just wish to come in to browse and shop. If you are bringing a large group we would appreciate prior notice.
Tailored talks by Reverse Garbage staff are charged at $1 per person, this is to be paid in a lump sum at sales on the day, or in advance via direct debit or credit card over the phone. Maximum group size is 50 (divided into two smaller groups for presentation).
Excursions to the Reverse Garbage warehouse must be booked in advance. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Funding Acknowledgements
In 2007, Reverse Garbage purchased an arts workshop van, enabling us to travel more easily to schools and community events. Funding for this vehicle was provided by the The Gambling Community Benefit Fund, who we thank for their significant contribution ($22,732) towards this new purchase .
We would also like to thank Helen Abrahams (local Councilor for Dutton Park Ward) and the Lord Mayor for Livability Grant funding which assisted in the creation of our on-site workshop space.
Supported by the Lord Mayor's Suburban Initiative Fund, Reverse Garbage re-vamped our warehouse to welcome in 2009. With new snaking isles and low-lying bays, we can fit and display more materials and give you a more pleasant shopping experience. Educational signs with colourful perspex displays have been purpose built to label each section of the warehouse.