Saving the environment is a very cool thing, especially when you can make cool crafts out of recycled materials. Most anything can be recycled, and children will love being involved in such a great activity. Before setting the garbage and recycling bins out every week, take a second to save a couple items for arts and crafts.
Children can have fun with the following:
Gift Bag Recycling
Reuse gift bags that you have received by transforming them into something completely different. What you will need is an old gift bag. A brown paper bag will work as well. With handmade paper, glue, a pencil, and a pair of scissors, your child can open up their own present wrapping business.
Carefully unglue the bottom flaps at the bottom of the old gift bag. Place the opened bag onto paper and draw the outlines slightly longer than the bag. Cut the paper, leaving some extra room that is enough to cover the bag. Apply glue to the old bag. Make sure that glue is applied to the folds.
Place the handmade paper on the bag and align the bottom edges. Attach it to one side of the bag. Cut slits at the corners of the extra hanging handmade paper at the top of the bag. This will allow you to fold the extra paper down into the old bag. Make sure that you fold it down smoothly.
Glue the bottom flaps. You can then decorate with ribbons.
Kazoo
You can make a kazoo out of a toilet paper tube. It is an easy and fun activity for kids. All you need is an empty tube, black paint, foam brush, foam music notes, tacky glue, wax paper, a rubber band, and scissors.
First, paint the tube with the black paint. After it is dry, glue on the music notes. Cut a 6” circle out of the wax paper and secure it with the rubber band at one end of the tube. Create your own kind of silly music by tooting through the open end of the tube. Have fun!
Kitty Condo
This is a great activity for using recycling materials and entertaining your cat. Here is what you will need:
• Two or more paper bags
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Cardboard
• Construction paper
• Glasses or bowls
• Pencil
• Loose pictures
• Your cat!
Lay the paper bags flat and, using the bowls, trace a circle on the bottom of them. Then, open the bags and cut out the circles. On the sides of the bags, trace circles by using the glasses. Cut these circles out too.
Cut some strips of cardboard and lay them inside of the bags for support. Place two of the bags top to top, and fit one of the bags inside the other, about an inch. Glue or tape them in place. Continue these steps with the other bags. Decorate the outside of the bags by using the pictures. To add extra support to the cat condo, glue some construction paper around the windows.
Create Your Own Craft
These great craft ideas should help you get in the mindset of recycling materials for arts and crafts. It may even inspire your kids to come up with their own ideas! Making up your own craft is a fun way to encourage creativity and imagination.
Grab some household items that can be re-used. Gather your kids, and brainstorm ways that you can repurpose these items. Don't be afraid to go a bit crazy with your ideas! You've already paid for these items, so if mistakes are made or a craft idea goes awry, it won't make your wallet cry.
To really make these crafts as cheap as possible, stick to the art supplies you have on hand. This can also introduce an added challenge, as you and your kids will only have a set amount of supplies to work with. You'll really have to get creative to come up with good ideas!
Creating crafts with your kids will generate lots of awesome memories for you to look back on. Soon, you'll have a box full of their old crafts. Think of how special all of these will be when your children are grown and on their own.