Have plastics, cardboard, cans, or paper out the wazoo? Take on your recyclables with a DIY flair. These projects help kids embrace their creativity and imaginations and teach them the wonders of eco-friendly art. Fun for young and old alike, these ideas are inspiring and earth-saving. Go green with the paint and art-making!
Myveryeducatedmother.com
For cute critters, salvage those tin cans and transform them into friendly tin-can bugs. Coffee canisters, soup cans and the like are all welcome. Perfect inside of the home in the kids' room or outside in the garden, these bugs inspire your young ones to think outside of the box (or can, for that matter). These are the kind of bugs you will want around.
Craftycrafts.wordpress.com
Save your plastic bottles for their bottoms, and turn them into artistic pendant necklaces. Decorate them, color them and do with them as you please. These little beauties can be appreciated for years to come. One plastic bottle can become a memorable crafts with the kids to last a lifetime.
Creativejewishmom.com
This is where making art and making music combine. Crafty and creative, this plastic cup noise maker gets the kids and you grooving and reusing. Paint two plastic cups, secure them together with colorful electrical tape, and add beans for an a-sounding effect. Shake to your heart's content.
Edenproject.com
All you need are scissors and a plastic jug to make this beautiful little bird. Help the kids with handling the scissors and see how their little hands shape plastic into art. Cut different wing and tail shapes or paint a bunch of little birdies different colors. The possibilities are endless, but the craft is simple.
Home-dzine.co.za
Teach the kids how to craft, how to recycle, and how to save money with these recycled jug farm animal banks. Add little legs and spray paint the bodies. Also, remember to put aside the jug's lids for easy access to the coins inside. Cute farm animals and saved-up chunk change are a match made in craft heaven.
Tinyrottenpeanuts.com
Let the kids be the mayor of their own town with this craft. Have the kids create a tiny replica of a neighborhood with these cardboard houses. Vary the sizes and heights of each house for a hodgepodge of a miniature town. Adorn the houses with windows and doors, and create little people to inhabit your child's village.
Amanda Kingloff, author of Project Kid, teaches parents how to turn a used juice box, a shampoo bottle and a mint tin into three clever and cool kid's crafts.
