Recycled plastic mats make great classroom rugs in early childhood preschools and kindergartens. These cool and lightweight mats breathe, making them the perfect addition to Australian and warm climate classrooms. These mats provide you with another choice when it comes to floor coverings for indoors, different to thick woollen classroom rugs that are standard in many Early Childhood centres.
Start your year right with the children with a refreshed room full of new and bright mats you can utilise for activities, invitations to play, home corner set ups, games, songs and circles. Check out our educational range of outdoor mats here.
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These classroom rugs (or recycled mats as we like to call them) are not only good for sitting on....
In fact, there’s a whole bunch of ways you can use them.
Games and Transitions:
The plastic rugs and mats can be used as a ‘game board’ of sorts. The patterns provide plenty of scope for imaginative games and transition opportunities. The circular mats in particular are great for ‘Musical Chairs’, ‘Statues’, and ‘Duck, Duck, Goose but we know there's many more game ideas out there too.
Sharing of Culture:
The Indigenous Aboriginal plastic woven mats pictured have been thoughtfully designed by Indigenous Artists through a collaboration with JJ Stranan, owner of Recycled Mats. The Aboriginal mats are designed to tell a story of culture and diversity, and can be used as an introduction to the customs, traditions and heritage of Australia’s First People. These contemporary designs are not only beautiful, they help break down prejudice too.
Discussion Circles:
Each Aboriginal Mat features a series of motifs or a theme that is pertinent to a particular nation group or tribe. It is our experience that these motifs spark intelligent conversations and discussions between the children who want to know the meaning behind the painting.
Circle Time:
We know lots of teachers purchase and love these mats for circle time. These generously-sized classroom rugs can fit a whole class of little ones around the edge of a circle, helping teachers to maintain a sense of order and calm as they share and sing with young children.
Space Savers:
Classroom rugs help with layout of the classroom space. Whether you need a circle, a square, a rectangle, or a smaller mat, there's one to suit your needs. Classroom rugs and mats do a great job of keeping children off a cold or uncomfortable floor, they look spectacular, AND are easy to clean with a shake outside or a sweep of a broom. We’ve seen them in home corner set ups, storytelling spaces, in block building areas, on decks and verandahs, and even outside in the garden and in open spaces set up as “invitations to play” mats.
Babies room floor rugs:
Recycled mats are super hygienic for the babies room too. They are quick to wipe down helping you to deal with spills and baby dribble easily, and they love nothing better than a quick shake outside at the end of a day. Recycled plastic mats are soft on babies bodies at tummy time, and have visual appeal for those little ones who are just beginning to explore the world around them.
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Outdoor Picnics and Campfire Gatherings:
Mats can seat 20 kids with no problem and are a clever and striking way to gather children for workshops, outdoor games, campfire yarning, fun and eco-friendly activities.
Reasonably priced rugs
All classroom rugs and recycled plastic mats are reasonably priced, and if cared for, will last for years. At Recycled Mats we strive to ensure that mats remain affordable for all childcare centres, schools, preschools, and early childhood spaces including family day care.
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Take a look at our website to find the classroom rug you like best.
If a plastic mat is not your thing, you might like to know that Recycled Mats also stock Indian rugs, braided rugs, natural rugs, and rug runners made from recycled material too. We love the Chindi's! Take a peek. We bet you'll fall in love with these rainbow coloured explosions of joy too.
Are you looking for fun teaching resources on the art of recycling or the circular economy?
If you're a teacher, homeschooler or early childhood educator, and are looking for fun ways to teach your child/ren more about about the circular economy, we have put together some super-fun & engaging ideas on how-to! Check out our fun blog post here.
