Knitting, sewing and crocheting are not often taught in schools anymore, however one town in Merseyside is hoping to encourage children to try their hands at them.
But, rather than using yarn and needles, schools in St Helens are going to be using old plastic and cloth.
This is part of a £22,000 fund to encourage waste prevention and teach the kids more about reusing, recycling and caring for the environment, the St Helens Star reports.
The Eco Knit and Crochet project is certainly a novel way to get children more involved in crafts and will be run by Newton-le-Willows-based St Helens First Network and rolled out across five schools in the coming weeks.
Rather than sending items to landfill, pupils will be shown how to transform clothing, plastic carrier bags, bedsheets and newspapers, to name but a few, into whole new products and presents.
The newspaper claims that this could include turning a couple of old polo shirts into a sports holdall bag, or cutting up clothes and bedsheets and weaving them into colourful rugs.
Meanwhile, strips of plastic carrier bags can be crocheted or knitted together to form small purses or pencil cases.
The scheme will be voluntary, with Eco Clubs set up in each of the schools to sell items for profit and also to pass on skills to visitors and pupils from other towns.
It is a financially viable opportunity, thanks to cash being awarded by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority as part of its Community Fund for 2012/13.
St Helens' project is one of four in Merseyside that were awarded funding after pledging innovative ways to reduce the amount of waste heading to landfill each year.
It has also been supported by Veolia Environmental Services, which rewards local groups for their waste prevention, reuse, recycling and carbon reduction efforts.
