How to Make Crafts Out of Recycled Materials
Using recycled materials for crafts is not only great for the environment, it gives your imagination a workout at the same time. Coming up with a way to reuse a basic household item can be great fun for children while teaching them the importance of reusing or recycling anything they possibly can. Anything from empty aluminum cans to popsicle sticks to newspaper can be turned into fun crafts for any age group.
Instructions
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Clean out any cans, jars, or bottles you are recycling and set them aside for an arts and crafts day. Empty out cereal boxes and stack them with other empty boxes. Make sure that there are no food particles left in any of the recycled materials so that you do not attract bugs.
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Search the Internet or arts and crafts books for craft ideas. Many websites actually have instructions and supply lists for crafts using recycled materials. For crafts that do not call for recycled materials, use your imagination to see if anything you have stashed away can be used versus buying new materials.
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Allow your children free rein with the recycled materials and art supplies. You may be surprised what they can come up with on their own. Even butcher paper, markers, and a child's imagination can be turned into wrapping paper that grandma will love as much as the gift.
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Here's a quick example of what kind of cool stuff you and your kids can do: Clean out three aluminum cans that are the same size. Use aluminum paint to paint each one a different, bright color. Let the cans dry. Use multicolored rubber band to connect each other. Decorate each can with stickers to make a office supply holder for a favorite teacher's desk.
More ideas can be found in the Resources section of this article.
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Tips & Warnings
Keeping a good stock of recycled materials and art supplies will come in handy on a bad weather day.
Using recycled items for crafts can actually help you save money.
Always supervise your children while they are crafting, especially with jars or cans that can break and cut your child.
