[February 27, 2010] From trash to treasures Tweet Feb 27, 2010 (Tampa Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WESLEY CHAPEL -- A little imagination and a lot of recyclables combined Friday to turn first-grade classrooms at Veterans Elementary into a miniature museum of what teachers referred to as "garbage art." Using items they found at home, such as cardboard boxes, water bottles, bottle caps and paper plates, the children produced such creations as robots, monster trucks, flower pots, airports and fish bowls. First-grader Arielle Meier, 6, formed a model of the Eiffel Tower out of plastic water bottles, toilet paper rolls and duct tape. "I picked the Eiffel Tower because I like Paris," she said. Arielle is a pupil in Rachel Carrillo's classroom. Carillo joined in the spirit of the day by wearing a garbage-art shirt she decorated with throwaway items, such as crushed soft-drink cans. The garbage-art display was the end product of a reading-series unit on recycling and protecting the Earth. On Friday, parents visited Carrillo's classroom and listened as the children read reports about their art projects. Jackson Choinski, 6, turned his fascination with monster trucks into the inspiration for his garbage art. His monster truck had plastic coffee containers as wheels. Capri Sun juice boxes and pouches served as part of the body. Jackson called his truck the Capri Crusher because "it had a lot of Capri Sun and I wanted it to crush a lot of stuff." Recreational activities inspired some of the first-graders. Kelsey Kadlub, 7, fashioned a soccer goal out of plastic bags, plastic bottles and duct tape. Jacob Dimarco, 6, devised a bowling game using plastic water bottles as pins. He placed batteries in the bottles for added weight and used a soft-drink can in place of a bowling ball. Some of the students drew inspiration from living creatures. Sky Forrester, 7, a fan of fish and animals, created a fish tank out of a milk carton. Chaila Resto, 6, formed a turtle from two disposable baking pans taped together. She made the head out of newspaper and foil. Kayla Szymanski, 6, built wind chimes from plastic forks and paper plates. Barrett Zajeski, 6, embraced his inner architect, constructing a mega building out of such materials as cardboard boxes and plastic food cups. Katrina Downing, 7, conjured Gallon Man out of plastic bottles and milk cartons. Gallon Man is more than a work of art, she said. "I can use Gallon Man to help me learn my measurements," Katrina said. After the presentations, the students and their parents voted for their favorite projects. The winner from Carrillo's class will compete with winners from seven other classrooms. Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 259-7065. Keyword: Garbage Art for more photos of the displays. To see more of the Tampa Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tampatrib.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Tampa Tribune, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]