Remember when children would spend hours playing with cardboard boxes, creating dams in gutters, or turning household items into imaginary worlds? At It’s Not Garbage, we’re bringing that magic back.

I’m Ann, a retired teacher who’s witnessed firsthand how simple, open-ended materials engage children more deeply than expensive, single-purpose toys ever could. I’ve seen toddlers make their first friends while filling containers with bark, watched classrooms transform when cream containers and meat trays arrived, and helped educators create rich learning environments without breaking their budgets.

Today’s children have fewer opportunities for creative play, yet it’s more essential than ever for their development. When children use these open-ended resources, they develop thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and lose themselves in imaginative worlds of their own creation.

Whether you’re an educator, parent, grandparent or community member, you’ll find treasures here that inspire unlimited possibilities.