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11 Earth Day Crafts and Classroom Activities Using Recycled Materials
Certainly! Here are some Earth Day crafts and classroom activities that you can do using recycled materials to promote environmental awareness and sustainability:
1. Recycled Paper Making:
• Collect old newspapers, magazines, and scrap paper.
• Shred the paper into small pieces.
• Soak the paper in water until it becomes mushy.
• Blend the mushy paper into a pulp.
• Use a sieve or mesh to form the pulp into sheets.
• Let the sheets dry, and you’ll have recycled paper.
2. Plastic Bottle Planters:
• Collect empty plastic bottles and cut them in half.
• Decorate the bottles with paint, markers, or colored tape.
• Fill the bottom half with soil and plant seeds or small plants.
• Hang them in the classroom or a sunny window.
3. Tin Can Herb Gardens:
• Clean empty tin cans and remove any sharp edges.
• Paint and decorate the cans.
• Fill them with soil and plant herbs like basil, mint, or chives.
• Place them on a windowsill or in the classroom garden.
4. Recycled Art Collage:
• Collect a variety of recycled materials like old magazines, cardboard, bottle caps, and fabric scraps.
• Provide glue, scissors, and large sheets of paper.
• Encourage students to create collages with an environmental theme.
5. Upcycled T-Shirt Tote Bags:
• Ask students to bring in old t-shirts they no longer use.
• Cut off the sleeves and neck to create a tote bag shape.
• Decorate the bags with fabric paint, markers, or stamps.
• Use them as reusable shopping bags.
6. Recycled Sculptures:
• Gather assorted recycled materials like cardboard boxes, egg cartons, and plastic containers.
• Provide glue, tape, and scissors.
• Let students create their own sculptures or environmental-themed art installations.
7. Waste Sorting Game:
• Collect a variety of waste items, both recyclable and non-recyclable.
• Label bins for different types of waste (e.g., paper, plastic, organic).
• Challenge students to correctly sort the items into the appropriate bins.
8. Earth Day Posters:
• Have students design Earth Day posters using recycled materials.
• Encourage them to focus on messages about conservation, reducing waste, or protecting wildlife.
9. Recycled Fashion Show:
• Organize a “Recycled Fashion Show” where students create outfits using old clothes, newspapers, and other recycled materials.
• Discuss the importance of sustainable fashion.
10. Environmental Discussions:
• Hold classroom discussions or presentations on environmental topics, such as climate change, recycling, and endangered species.
• Encourage students to research and share their findings with the class.
These activities not only promote recycling and sustainability but also engage students in creative and educational Earth Day celebrations.
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1. Create a hanging garden.
Creating a hanging garden can be a beautiful and creative way to enhance your outdoor or indoor space. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a hanging garden:
Materials You’ll Need:
1. Hanging Planters: Choose a variety of hanging planters. These can be pots with hooks, macrame hangers, or even repurposed containers like mason jars or old baskets.
2. Plants: Select plants that thrive in hanging conditions, such as trailing or cascading plants. Some popular options include pothos, spider plants, ivy, succulents, or trailing petunias. Make sure they are suitable for your location (indoor or outdoor) and climate.
3. Potting Soil: Use a well-draining potting mix specific to your plant types. Some plants prefer a more succulent mix, while others need standard potting soil.
4. Hooks or Anchors: You’ll need hooks or anchors to hang your planters securely. These should be suitable for the weight of the planter and plant.
5. Watering Can: To ensure your hanging garden gets the right amount of water, you’ll need a watering can with a narrow spout or a long-necked watering tool.
6. Fertilizer: Depending on your plant selection, you may need a suitable fertilizer. Follow the recommended guidelines for each type of plant.
Steps to Create a Hanging Garden:
1. Choose Your Location: Decide where you want to hang your garden. Ensure it gets the right amount of light for the plants you’ve chosen. For indoor gardens, near a bright window is usually ideal, while outdoor gardens may require more planning.
2. Prepare Your Planters: Fill each hanging planter with the appropriate potting mix. Leave enough space at the top for the plants.
3. Select and Arrange Plants: Carefully remove your chosen plants from their nursery pots, gently loosen the roots, and place them into the hanging planters. You can mix and match different plants for a vibrant look. Ensure they are evenly spaced and secure in the soil.
4. Hang Your Planters: Install hooks or anchors in the chosen location. Make sure they are strong enough to support the weight of the planters when filled with soil and water. Hang the planters at a height that allows you to easily care for and enjoy your garden.
5. Watering: Water your hanging garden carefully. Ensure that the water reaches the roots without making a mess. Watering may be required more frequently for hanging plants, as they can dry out faster.
6. Maintenance: Regularly inspect your plants for signs of pests, disease, or overgrowth. Prune and trim them as needed to encourage healthy growth and maintain the desired shape.
7. Fertilize: Depending on the plants you’ve chosen, use a suitable fertilizer as directed. Some plants may benefit from a diluted, balanced liquid fertilizer applied during the growing season.
8. Enjoy: Your hanging garden will become a beautiful addition to your space. Take time to appreciate the lush greenery and the calming effect it can have on your environment.
Remember that each plant may have specific care requirements, so be sure to research and follow guidelines for the plants you’ve chosen to create a thriving hanging garden.
2. Up-cycle trash into flower art
Creating flower art from upcycled trash is not only environmentally friendly but also a creative and unique way to decorate your space. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to turn trash into beautiful flower art:
Materials You’ll Need:
1. Assorted Trash Items: Gather various discarded items that you can use for your art project. Examples include plastic bottles, old newspapers, cardboard, aluminum cans, bottle caps, and any other recyclable materials.
2. Scissors: You’ll need a good pair of scissors for cutting and shaping the trash materials.
3. Paints and Brushes: Acrylic paints and paintbrushes will be useful for adding color and detail to your flower art.
4. Glue: A strong, all-purpose adhesive or a hot glue gun with glue sticks will be needed to assemble your flowers.
5. Stems: You can use wooden dowels, bamboo skewers, or any other suitable materials as the stems for your flowers.
6. Vase or Base: You’ll need something to display your flower art, such as a vase or a decorative base.
Steps to Create Trash Flower Art:
1. Clean and Prepare Trash Items: Make sure the collected trash items are clean and dry. Remove any labels or stickers that might be on them.
2. Cut and Shape: Use your scissors to cut and shape the trash items into flower petals, leaves, and other desired shapes. Get creative with your designs, and experiment with different shapes and sizes.
3. Paint: If you want to add color to your flower art, use acrylic paints and brushes to paint the trash materials. Let them dry completely before moving on to the next step.
4. Assemble the Flowers: Begin assembling your flowers by gluing the various pieces together. You can stack layers of petals, attach leaves, and add details like stamen and pistils using smaller pieces of trash.
5. Attach Stems: Once you’ve created your flowers, attach them to stems made from wooden dowels or bamboo skewers using glue. Ensure the stems are securely attached to the back of each flower.
6. Arrange in a Vase or Base: Place your upcycled trash flowers into a vase or decorative base. You can use real soil, sand, or even decorative stones to secure the stems in the base.
7. Display Your Trash Flower Art: Find a suitable spot to display your upcycled flower art. It could be on a table, shelf, or as a centerpiece for a special occasion.
8. Maintenance: Dust your trash flower art regularly to keep it looking its best. If any pieces come loose or need touch-ups, use glue and paint as needed for repairs.
9. Share and Inspire: Share your upcycled flower art with others to inspire creativity and promote recycling and upcycling in your community.
Creating flower art from trash not only reduces waste but also showcases your artistic talents and commitment to environmental sustainability. It’s a wonderful way to turn discarded items into something beautiful and meaningful.
3. Grow an egg carton tree
Students can create these recycled egg carton trees by bringing in their old egg cartons from home.
4. Fashion a pop top bracelet.
By using some ribbon ninja skills, aluminium beverage pop tops can be transformed into jewellery. To offer your pupils all the information they need to get started making, project this video onto your interactive whiteboard.
5. Chime the wind.
Take a nature walk and collect sticks, weeds, and pickable flowers. Bring the finds home to display them in recycled jar lids. Your children can make this unexpectedly lovely recycled wind chime with just wax paper and string.
6. Paint paper bags
Brown paper bags can be used as eco-canvases for student artwork and make lovely Earth Day decorations for school hallways. If you can find bags with handles because they have built-in art hangers, bonus points.
7. Raise a rainbow made of drink tops and bottle lids.
Invite the families of your children to gather plastic bottle and jar lids, and then have them work together to create a sizable, vibrant recycled rainbow mosaic. This all-hands exercise in the classroom illustrates how many people must collaborate to bring about environmental change.
8. Feed the birds.
With this simple crowd-pleaser, the giant plastic bottle bird feeder, you can welcome spring. Request bird seed contributions from nearby shops or nature preserves, ask your kids to bring in bottles, and then show the class this quick film to inspire them to build their feeders.
9. Make paper mâché pots.
Reuse food containers or beverage bottles by cutting off the bottoms and decorating them with bits of brightly coloured paper. These paper mâché planters are made entirely of recyclable materials, excluding the glue.
10. Catch the sun.
To make these Earth Day sun catchers, all you need are glitter, recyclable plastic lids, and school glue. Peeling Earth off the lid on day two of the two-day craft is half the pleasure.
11. Collaborate on an aluminum can recycling bin.
For the cafeteria or another common space of the school (like the teacher lounge! ), students can collaborate to build an aluminium can recycling centre. Learn how your classroom and school can use Recycle Rally to make recycling profitable and exciting by watching the video below.