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Eco-crafting with Kids

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Aside from planting a tree, starting a compost bin or creating a vegetable garden, there are lots of crafty ways that you can share Earth Day with your children.  Here are some nice tutorials for eco-friendly crafts for kids:

Mosaic Bird Bath from The Seattle Times.

Tin can projects from Family Fun.

Gum Wrapper Chain from Wee Folk Art.

Egg Carton Flowers from Supercozy.

Cereal Box Matching Game from Plum Pudding.

Twig Trivet from How Stuff Works.

And here are more simple ideas for crafting with recycled materials.  Really, it’s just a matter of working with what you have.  Since I’ve started making a concerted effort to do this in our home, we spend considerably less on craft supplies and my children look at every object with a creative eye.

Paint rocks.

Make a cardboard box house.

Turn a glass jar into a snow globe.

Make a fairy house with natural materials.

Stamp with potatoes.

Make your own paint.

Camp Creek Blog has a nice post about saving materials for recycled craft projects here.  And as always, The Crafty Crow has links to tons of great ideas for crafting with kids, like this post about things you can make from an egg carton.

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Craft Green: Eco-Friendly Tutorials

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In the upcoming week I’ll be writing about eco-friendly crafts in celebration of Earth Day.  So here are some eco-friendly tutorials to get you started.  Look for more upcycled projects and green giveaways throughout the week.

Homemade Paper from Instructables.

Gift Bags from Envelopes from How About Orange.

Plastic Grocery Bag Pom Poms from Creature Comforts.

Junk Mail Paper Beads from The New New.

Girl’s Spring Mini-Tote from Betz White.

Crocheted Tawashi from Linda Permann for Craft Stylish.

Fabric Scrap Bowl from Linda Permann at Craft Stylish.

Recycled Crayons from Make and Takes.

Sweater Skirt from Whip Up.

Recycled Sweater Kid Pants from Green Kitchen.

Magazine Bowl from A Little Hut.

Travel Candle in Recycled Tin from Design Sponge.

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Assembly Line Valentines

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It’s time to crack the craft whip on those kids.  Valentines for school are often a source of frustration for parents whether you are trying to get your kid to make them or simply write his name on each one. It’s tedious.  Probably best to tackle them assembly line style and start way ahead of time.  Here are some ideas for recycled paper materials that can be used to make valentines:

  • maps
  • book pages
  • junk mail
  • holiday cards
  • paper bags
  • cereal boxes
  • sheet music
  • children’s artwork (with permission)
  • office paper
  • gift wrap
  • brochures
  • invitations
  • magazines

The problem with recycled materials is that they usually have printing on both sides.  Once our cards are done, I will cut up some back sides of office paper and have the kids write their names and glue to the inside of each card.

Here are some simple ways that you could use your recycled materials:

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From top left:

  1. Patterned side of a security envelope (idea from Design Sponge).
  2. Paper bag with vintage children’s book illustration.
  3. Blank cards made from sheet music, red envelope, paper bag, and embroidery design book page.
  4. Corrugated cardboard heart on recycled envelope.
  5. Painted cereal box with yarn scrap.
  6. Hearts on paper bag (see instructions below).

To make these little hearts, just cut some recycled paper in 1/4″ strips and follow the pictures below, adding a drop of glue at each step.  The corrugated hearts were also made with strips of corrugated cardboard rolled down from each end.

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Upcycled Flowers

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I’m getting carried away with this recycling theme.  Check out these upcycled flowers that the kids and I made for Alpha Mom using old sweaters and coat hangers.  You can make these from materials found around your home, and they’ll never need water!  A nice little Valentine’s gift for teachers or grandparents.

I have gotten a LOT of use out of these sweaters (see here, here and here).  And my older daughter has been wearing the sleeves of one of the sweaters as leg warmers.  It’s hip to be frugal these days.  This recession is wicked karma, but I hope that we can learn some hard lessons from it and remember what’s really important.