Using Your Home Items As Crafts
If you're looking for special projects that will teach your kids to be environmentally friendly, then why not get them involved with crafts? Ordinary items around the house like coat hangers, CDs and DVDs and old clothing often end up in landfill sites when they can be used to make functional and attractive items for your home, office or garden. In this article, we'll show you some simple crafts for kids that will make our world a little greener.
Tin cans can be used for a number of craft projects after their contents have been emptied. Turning tuna or cat food cans into candy containers is a practical craft project that is so simple that anyone can do it. After you've washed the can thoroughly, paint the outside white. Punch two holes near the top edge on opposite sides and use light weight craft wire or a pipe cleaner to make a handle. Now the can looks like a little basket. To cover the wire, you can use felt or pretty ribbon. To decorate the outside of the can, you can use stamps, stickers, glitter or more craft paint. Line the inside with plastic wrap, paper doilies, or colored cellophane. The candy container will look really pretty and artistic once you put the candy inside.
Napkin rings are an attractive addition to any table even when you're having a casual family dinner. Save your silver napkin rings for formal occasions and make paper towel tube rings for every day. This is so easy, and is one of safest crafts for young kids to do. You'll need an assortment of dried beans. If you want a flashier look, you can use plastic gem stones. You'll also need an empty paper towel tube, glue and scissors. Cut empty paper towel tubes into 1-1/4" rings. Use the glue to attach the beans or gems to the entire surface area. If you want to make a simpler looking napkin ring, cover the paper towel roll with shelving paper in a pretty pattern before cutting the roll into pieces.
Fridge magnets are a fun way to dress up your kitchen and they're great for holding photographs, recipes or shopping lists in a convenient place. If you're looking for environmentally friendly craft projects for your kids, make some eco-fridge magnets. You'll need CDs or DVDs that are no longer in use, felt in your favorite colors, a black marker, decorative materials like gems, beans, beads or ribbon, eyes from a craft store and a magnet. Trace the disc out on the felt, cut out the shape, and glue the felt to one side only. Using your decorative materials and some glue, turn the disc into a potato head, a frog face, a happy smile or even a flower. Add a dollop of glue to the top, backside of the disc and carefully place the magnet in the glue. Once all the material dries, you'll have a cute magnet that will hold your child's crafts and paintings to the fridge.
Kids learn better when they're having fun, so use special projects to educate them about the importance of being earth friendly. Look at everything as possible materials for craft projects and you'll have a plethora of things to work with without spending a cent. Use acrylic paint to turn an old plant pot into a funky umbrella holder or cut up an old garden hose and use it as trim on sharp shelf edges. Crafts are limited only to your imagination so be green and have fun.