We can't wait to put on this fun, educational, and interactive experience for your audience! We will need your help to wrangle the recycled materials so that we make sure and have items for the workshop participants to work with.  We like to have at least 2 to 3 items per workshop participant, so I suggest estimating the number of participants, adding a few more for good measure, and then multiplying times 2 or 3 to get the quantity of recycled items you need to wrangle.

Another approach is to have participants bring their own recycled items from their homes.  This may or may not be logistically slightly more complicated but it is superior from the pedagogical perspective as participants get to experience repurposing materials that they used in their own household.

Feel free to use www.recycalypso.com in your publicity if you are advertising.  Those planning to attend can go to that web page and get a better idea of what Recycalypso is all about.

The basic instructions for what sort of items work well are as follows:

1.  Look around the library/school/retirement home/etc. and/or have staff look around their homes (if you are providing recycled materials for participants).  Find interesting-sounding recycled materials from the recycling bin or elsewhere.  The only rules are A. NO GLASS, B. NOTHING SHARP (so make sure and remove sharp edges from tin cans, etc.), C. MAKE SURE THE ITEM IS CLEAN.

If you are having audience members bring their own materials then publicize the above instructions so they will know what to bring.

Specific items we suggest are:

yogurt containers (with lids)
large plastic or metal containers are especially great
empty vitimin or pill containers
egg cartons
cardboard boxes
metal pipes
scraps of pvc pipe
Buckets are great!

etc.

Rubber bands are great for making "stringed" instruments

2. Other Materials We Suggest Having On Hand (you should provide these even if audience members will bring their own recycled materials):

A bowl full of dried beans or noodles (to make shakers), or, better yet, multiple bowls full of different items to put in shakers
Duct tape
Markers and/or pencils to decorate instruments
Several large tables to lay out the recycled materials on

NO PAINT PLEASE

3. A projector and screen that we can attach to my laptop and project video and audio.  This is optional but adds richness to the program.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS IDEAS, QUESTIONS, ETC. BELOW