Children coupled environmentalism and their love for art Friday afternoon at the Nesconset branch of the Smithtown Special Library District during its program.
The program, where disposable materials were used to create artwork, was put together to inspire the children to reuse these items creatively.
“It’s a recreational program that’s also educational in that they learn about repurposing, and it will also teach them about [collages],” said Maggie Moloney, children’s librarian.
Moloney read the book “The Dumpster Diver” by Janet S. Wong aloud to the children during the program, which is centered on how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
“This story is to help inspire you to make a fabulous art project,” Moloney said to the group of about a dozen children. “The items are not from the dumpster, but from the craft closet.”
Moloney also showed the children a portrait by Pablo Picasso to give them idea of what they would be making using construction paper and reused materials such as beads, buttons, ribbons and more.
Some children made three-dimensional portraits, like seven-year-old David Adler, who used pipe cleaners, play coins and a toilet paper roll to make a Nintendo DS Robot 3D.
Samantha Harmel, 11, left the program Friday with a firm grasp on what it was all about.
“Recycling is good for the earth,” she said. “Making the faces is fun too.”
