Create Craft
5 Art Projects Using Recycled Materials
Author Sara Langer
James Kicinski-McCoy took the pictures.
Look no further than your recycle bin if you’re searching for a few quick, low-cost, and eco-friendly activities to try at home with your kids. You may make a variety of crafts with a few simple crafting materials including discarded bottles, containers, and paper that were intended to be recycled. Making art with repurposed and found materials makes the project flexible and encourages your child’s creative creativity. We’ve put together a few simple and enjoyable arts and activities to lighten your recycling bucket in order to get your creative juices flowing.
1. Cardboard Tube Binoculars
Supplies:
-2 cardboard tubes for toilet paper
40-inch length of yarn or thread
scissors, white craft glue, and a pen.
Directions:
Make a hole in the tube’s top using the pen. To make two holes that are directly across from one another, push the pen all the way through to the other side of the tube. To allow you to thread your twine through both tubes, line up the openings in the two tubes and glue them together using the craft glue. To keep the two tubes together while the glue cures, twine-wrap them together. Unwrap the twine, thread it through the holes, and secure the ends once the glue has dried. Head outside to explore while wearing the binoculars around your neck.
2. Planet Earth Crayon Cups
Materials: -Broken, worn-out crayons. crayons, preferably in blue and green.
the muffin tin
Direction
You can use any colour of crayons, but mixing green and blue will cause them to melt and resemble the land and water of the world. Set the oven’s temperature to 300 °F. Crayons should be broken up so they can fit into the muffin tins, and one inch of crayons should be placed into each one. Crayons should “bake” in the muffin tin for 20 minutes, or until just melted. Avoid overcooking the crayons since the wax will start to smoke. Take out of the oven, then let cool. The new, enormous crayons will easily release from the pan after being placed in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
3. Tin Can Succulent Garden
Supplies: -Potting soil (a blend designed specifically for succulents is good) -Two to four empty tin cans.
1-2 handfuls of tiny rocks
-Succulents, varying in size from 1 to 2 per can.
Directions:
Succulents don’t need a lot of moisture, thus the soil must have sufficient drainage to prevent it from becoming overly wet. If desired, make one or two tiny holes in the bottom of the can to allow the dirt to drain. You can omit this step and fill the container with dirt after adding a 1-inch layer of rocks to the bottom. With potting soil, almost halfway fill the can. Transfer the succulent plant to the can, then carefully add more potting soil around it to fill the can up and secure the plant. Every 10 to 14 days, depending on the climate, water. The cans can be previously decorated with paint, but we
adore how plain the silver can is.
4. Egg Carton Flower Mobile
Materials: -Egg carton
-Scissors
-Paintbrushes -Twine or thread -Acrylic paint
Large eye needle, stick, or twig
Directions:
Use the slots that contain each egg to make flowers of various sizes and shapes by cutting or tearing the egg carton. By making slits with the scissors, you can cut petals. Each blossom should be painted, then allowed to dry. To make a tiny hole in the centre of each flower, use the large eye needle (or have an adult assist the child with the scissors). Cut three to four 40-inch-long pieces of twine. Tie a knot under each flower to allow it to hang suspended on the rope, then thread the egg carton flowers onto the twine, spreading them apart however you choose. Each twine piece should be uniformly spaced apart as you tie it to the stick.
Milk Carton Guitar And/Or Milk Carton Village
Equipment for a guitar:
-1 empty carton of milk
Roll of paper towels
-A sharp knife or pair of scissors (adult supervision is necessary).
-A wide selection of coloured construction paper
Rubber band
– Tape with colour
small pompoms
Clip for bread
Supplies For Village:
empty milk jugs in a range of sizes
-White gesso -Various colours of paint
Sharpie marker, a hot glue gun, and paintbrushes or sponges
Directions:
In relation to the milk carton guitar (ORIGINALLY SEEN HERE): Wrap the milk carton and paper towel roll in coloured construction paper using hot glue. On the top of the milk carton, make a hole the size of a paper towel roll. Use hot glue to keep it in place. Cut a sizable hole in the guitar’s face. To make the “bridge,” place a strip of coloured tape above and below the hole. Create “strings” by wrapping rubber bands around the carton. Glue pompoms on the “neck” on either side to make “tuners.” For the community of milk cartons: After applying three to four applications of white gesso, let the empty milk cartons dry. Once dry, seal the carton lips with hot glue.shut. After that, paint the house’s outside features (roofs, windows, doors, etc.). Use a black Sharpie to add details and outlines once the paint has dried.