reDiscover Center, Inc.

reDiscover is the perfect place for tapping into your creative potential. It's a trove of the familiar that you take and transform into the extraordinary. The staff is very helpful and full of ideas. The inventory is FULL of possibilities. There are classes and workshops that truly help you RE-discover. Best of all, it is a non-profit that not only helps you be more creative but it also helps you develop a greater sense of recycling and sustainability.

Wow! Rediscover is soooo creative and I love it. "little things mean a lot" is certainly true at the rediscover center. How lucky L.A. is to have a great place like Rediscover that is not only creative, but socially responsible and an education center too. Thanks not only to rediscover center but also to the community that supports it. Kudos! As a volunteer I've been engaged in unique activities that helped support the community. I was impressed with the amount of donations from local businesses...truck loads full sometimes...and even more impressed that they were put to use and appreciated.

At ReDiscover Center there are so many opportunities for students to discover, manage and transform the life of objects and materials for the purpose of creativity. With a large variety of everyday discarded materials to choose from, the outcomes are wide-ranging and fun. One can spend hours rummaging here and can be inspired with many ideas for any project.

Rediscover is and always has been a great resource for me as a preschool teacher. I usually go there on Saturdays and always find some inspiring recycled materials like CD covers, cardboard tubes, tile samples you name it. A wonderful place to create big things on a small budget! Eva

I teach science and social studies at the UCLA Lab School. Two things stand out for me about reDiscover. First, field trips. We bring our students to reDiscover to learn about how to use reclaimed materials to express their thinking as well as to learn about recycling. Recently, in our study of Community Helpers, the students made fantastic tools to help people in our school community. The best was a robot with 4 hands, a computer head and wheels to help our principal do her job! Secondly, reDiscover never fails to inspire the students and me with its range of fantastic materials! We're doing a project now about making a map of California regions. These students will never forget the four regions because they get to construct them out of fabric, random plastics, tiles and other cool stuff!

reDiscover is our favorite go-to activity for our family. We love stopping by for art-making and our boys make full use of the hundreds of recycled supplies that they then turn into works of art. At the same time, they are learning about how much STUFF we go through on a daily basis and how it impacts our environment. reDiscover serves our community in many ways and their smart and talented staff make every visit an adventure. My 6-year old had his birthday party there where 25 energetic boys made incredible robots and had a tremendous time! Thank you reDiscover!

I signed my 9 year old daughter up for Tinkering Camp last summer and she was very dubious of "another camp". But ... she loved Tinkering Camp and wanted to attend more sessions. Unfortunately, we were in the last session. She used real tools like circular saws and she learned the proper names and handling techniques. I wish they had a Tinkering Camp for grown-ups. The projects the children created were phenomenal and the kids got to take them home. The teachers were outstanding. We loved it and highly recommend it. Brooke G.

My 11 year old twins attended a one-week tinkering camp at the center. It was a great experience for both of them - lots of personal attention, great projects and they learned to use power tools. We have gone one other time to just build and also had a wonderful few hours.

My son is 7 years old. reDiscover came to his public school to work with his class on building using recycled materials. He came home excited and could't stop talking about the experience. He's usually not one to tell you much about his day at school, so I knew this was something unique. I contacted reDiscover to see if they had any summer camps, and signed my son up for Tinkering Camp. My son does not stay without me very easily, but he was SO excited to be there, I left him the first day without any trouble. When the day was over and I came to pick him up he had the biggest smile on his face, and when I asked how his day was, instead of "ok" with a shoulder shrug, I got a super enthusiastic "Great!" with a jump. The week long camp was inspiring, fun, and very educational. Mary Beth and her team gave each child a lot of attention and empowered the children to explore tools and materials on their own. They used real professional tools in a safe and educational way and made the week very special for the children. We plan to go back to tinkering school next summer.

This is an awesome place; great for spending some time rain or shine to explore one's imagination and create! I bring my kids every now and then and we build cool stuff. They love and I love it. Working with found objects - trash to some, perhaps, but wonderful raw materials to build with and explore. Great for all ages, from simply doing simple crafts to learning about different properties for different materials and solving engineering challenges for older kids.

REDISCOVERY CENTER ES UN LUGAR FASTASTICO. EN LO PERSONAL MI HIJO LE GUSTA IR APRENDER, JUGAR Y HACER ARTE , Y LO MAS IMPORTANTE APRENDE A RECICLAR Y COMO HUSAR EL RECICLAJE EN ARTE... HUSA MUCHA SU IMAGINACION LA CUAL ES FANTASTICO... GRACIAS REDISCOVERY CENTER..

I wandered in to ReDiscover two years ago thinking it might be a nice activity for my daughter and got swept up with the organization, volunteering, making art, soliciting donations, and now as an instructor/curriculum developer. The staff and volunteers are fantastic and the recycled materials unique and wonderful to work with, for my own personal constructions and as teaching materials. If I were to change one thing it would be to upgrade the facility, which looks to be bursting at the seams and is a bit rough around the edges, particularly in the warehouse out back.

As a consultant who works with many nonprofits, I have had the opportunity to work with Mary Beth and reDiscover. It is a professional organization that has a great program in this area. I have visited the site many times and the concept is great. Keep up the good work.

Each year the reDiscover Center has organized a Big Draw LA event - a month-long drawing initiative across Los Angeles in October - including an award winning program in 2010. This past year, on top of organizing an event, reDiscover Center created over 300 sketchbooks out of recycled material that were handed out to Big Draw LA participants at other events.

I have made use of reDiscover as both a student and a teaching artist and had a terrific experience both times. the staff is helpful and creative and I would strongly recommend the center to people of all ages!

ReDiscover is not only a Saturday haven for my own creative children/inventors, but it's an amazing resource for my classroom, so I can help inspire kids who might not otherwise make it to the center. I teach 6th grade, and I've used bag full after bag full of supplies to reuse in our 2-D and 3-D work. Not only is it in my budget, but I feel good about telling kids that we are reusing materials in our work. The school that I teach at is nearby and Im' hoping to take a field trip there someday soon. I have also enjooyed Rediscover Center's projects at community events around Los Angeles. The volunteers are very inspiring and helpful. I wholeheartedly support them in their effort to inspire creativity and reuse materials in the process.

I love ReDiscover. They allow the recycling of industrial materials to be used in a creative way for schoolchildren that is fun and whimsical. Taking part in that can spur the imagination of kids and adults alike to create and reuse and repurpose to great heights. They are definitely an invaluable resource for the community, an asset to Los Angeles.

ReDiscover has the sweet energy of creativity and care for the earth. I have been involved with reDiscover in many different ways and, whatever it is I am doing, I notice that it just feels good to be there. As a teacher and therapist, I work with kids and adults to connect with their hearts, their community and the earth. Open space for creativity is so important, especially in a busy world. ReDiscover is so important because it lets people take the objects of their day to day lives and transform them into art. It helps me remember that there is an artfulness in the things I sometimes consider mundane and new life in things that someone else might throw away. There is a lot of fear around lately concerning the future of the earth and humanity. ReDiscover is one of the things that gives me hope.

I first thought of reDiscover as a place where teachers could collect 'high quality recyclables' to use as art supplies, but then I found out it really is one of the only places where kids can learn to appreciate the value of the things they normally throw away.

reDiscover is a fabulous place to find unique recycled materials to use in your classroom. My students are constantly intrigued by the materials I introduce for their next

My overall experience was always a positive one. I loved watching the various generations interact with one another in a creative environment where grandparents and children were speaking one language when it came to creativity with the materials. It was interesting watching the children guide their parents towards materials that innately spoke to them and in turn parents learned more about their child's personality and interests. The specialists involved in particular open houses were gifted working with the children one on one as well as in groups -- and this was inspiring to observe as well. reDiscover offers a different form of community where verbal communication isn't always the main focus, but it ends up being a by product as the result of intensive attention by the kids working with their hands, their minds and the materials.

ReDiscover is one of those hidden gems - a mission-driven organization that shares its resources and expertise with the entire community, children and adults alike. Their tireless search for, and wildly creative use of, usual and unusual recyclable materials forces the child/parent/teacher to rethink - and rediscover - the joy of creating. The work they do with schools is invaluable - really, no one offers the kind of thoughtful art and science activities they do, whether they're doing children's workshops or teacher training. I can't recommend ReDiscover highly enough.

We love ReDiscover! My two children have benefitted greatly from the wonderful programs that ReDiscover has to offer. Teachers at my daughter's preschool visit ReDiscover regularly to find and bring back recycled materials which are then used in art and building projects. My son recently visited ReDiscover on an elementary school field trip and designed and constructed his own large structure while learning about sustainability issues. We have participated in fun birthday parties at ReDiscover as well. In addition to these great programs, ReDiscover also outreaches to low-income communities where schools may not have budgets for the arts and where the whole community can benefit from the availability of recycled materials and the awareness about sustainability issues that come with it.

The workshop was wonderful -- it was hands-on tinkering and deconstructing appliances with Gever Tully. It was really a unique experience, which is one of the best things about the reDiscover Center -- you'll be able to do things there you can't do anywhere else. Plus the center is stocked with all kinds of fabric and wood and reclaimed objects you can use to make fun art projects -- and be a part of the re-use and recycle movement. The kids can see that objects once discarded can be re-used and that fun can still be had with them. I am really glad to have this resource in my community.

ReDIscover is an amazing community resource in the Culver City - West LA area. They have a treasure trove of recycled materials which are available for a number of uses. Last year, ReDIscover provided the materials for our local elementary school's projects in its studio program. Also, my children have attended several wonderful classes there: 1) a theatre class where children used materials to create their own set and costumes to enact a play. 2) a Halloween costume workshop where children could use all materials to envision & create the costume of their dreams. 3) a summer camp where children could do both open-ended and more focused explorations with the materials to create projects of their choosing. My sons ended up creating some amazing birds and houses from the many diverse recycled materials available. Mary Beth, the director, really maintains reDiscover as a place to explore collaborations with schools and organizations in the community. I look forward to participating in many other projects in the future.

I love the very existence and mission of ReDiscover. They marry recycling industrial materials with creative art curricula for school children in a truly win/win scenario. There is so much ReDiscover can do if they had more volunteers spearheading initiatives, projects, and outreach. They are a valuable community resource and it would be great if more schools, creative programs, teachers, and artists knew about them. They are an asset to Los Angeles.