5 Summer Upcycled & Recycled Crafts for Kids

I remember growing up, and celebrating Earth Day once a year. Now, I'm always thinking about ways to reduce, recycle and upcycle. There are three reasons why I think upcycled kid crafts are ideal for busy moms.

1) It's cheaper. I could spend so much money on really amazing craft supplies.  But, sticking with the basics and supplementing with recycled materials can save a lot of money.

2) It's convenient. It's much easier to grab something from the recycle bin vs. dragging the kids to the craft store. I love  going to the craft store alone, but with kids, it's a whole other story.

3) It's earth friendly. Obviously, it's better for the environment to make use of something we already have instead of buying new material. We are leaving this planet to our children, and I want to leave it the best it can be.

So, with summer approaching, I wanted to share some of my favorite upcycled and recycled crafts for kids.  Here they are:

One thing we always have in our recycle bin is thin cardboard boxes and they seem to accumulate. My son came home from preschool one day with this really cute recycled robot craft. I have always been impressed with some of the art projects my son does at preschool.  This one is really easy and I love the results.

I love these upcycled bright summer flowers. They almost look so good you would never know they were made with old plastic water bottles. 

This is an easy one!  Just take an empty cardboard toilet paper tube. Spread on some peanut butter. Cover it in bird seed. Easy as 1,2,3! You don't need any string because you just slip it on a branch and let the birds enjoy.

Did you ever think of upcycling a mustard bottle for a Bumble Bee Garden Stake?  I didn't, but it's a great way to re-use those bright yellow bottles. 

My kids love butterflies and these egg carton caterpillars that turn into butterflies teach kids about metamorphosis and upcycling at the same time. This simple craft easily shows kids how we can recycle and re-use items that would otherwise be thrown away (cardboard egg cartons and paper bags) and teaches a bit of science as well!

If you want to see more fun upcycling crafts and summer fun activities for kids, check out my Pinterest boards!

Follow Heather @ LocalFunforKids's board Summer Crafts & Activities for Kids on Pinterest.

Follow Heather @ LocalFunforKids's board Upcycling Ideas on Pinterest.

8 Easy Christmas Paper Roll Crafts for Kids

The holidays can definitely be a hectic time of year, but it's also a time when the kids have more time off school.  When you need a quick winter boredom buster, nothing is better than using recycled materials from around the house to whip up a holiday craft to keep the kids entertained.

Pipe cleaners, construction paper, googly eyes and ribbon are a few of the craft staples that I always have on hand. Recently, I've added another item to my craft stash: empty toilet paper tubes and other paper tubes from paper towels, tin foil, etc.

Here are 8 easy Christmas crafts for kids using recycled paper rolls:

1) These toilet roll Snowman Ornaments are so precious! I'm definitely going to make these with my kids.

2) I think these simple Reindeer ornaments are perfect for preschoolers.

3) Kids will love tearing apart these traditional Christmas Crackers just as much as they'll enjoy making them!

4) Here's how to make a simple model Christmas Village and cotton ball snowman.

5) You can also try this recycled Nativity Scene and baby to go with your Christmas village.

6) I love this Santa's bushy beard in this paper roll Santa Craft.

7) Reindeer Candy Boxes - made with long paper tubes and a new brown sock

Try these out and let me know what you think!

5 Thanksgiving Paper Roll Kid Crafts

 

When it comes to kid crafts, there are a few things that really appeal to me. Obviously, they have to be fun for kids, but my favorite crafts are easy, made with recycled materials, and inexpensive.  It's always a win/win if I have all of the materials at my house, and don't need to buy anything special.

All 5 of these crafts are fun, colorful and perfect last minute crafts for Thanksgiving!

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1) A Gratitude Tree is an easy way to teach your children what Thanksgiving is all about. 

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2) Want to dress up your Thanksgiving dinner table with some Colorful Turkey Place-markers? This easy Turkey Craft is bright and cheery and I'm always a sucker for googly eyes!

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3)  This Thanksgiving Collage Corn craft is great because you only need a few things to make it, and they double as napkin holders for your thanksgiving feast! 

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4) For toddlers who haven't quite mastered their fine motor skills, here is another version of the Easy Indian Corn craft that is super simple and great for little hands. 

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5) No matter how crafty you are, anyone can make this Turkey craft for preschoolers with a paper roll and paper plate. 

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Do you have any other cool paper roll crafts for Thanksgiving?  Comment below with a link!

Want to see more? Here are 8 Christmas Crafts made with Paper Rolls.

10 Recycled Egg Carton Crafts for Kids

Summer is here and many moms are searching for quick boredom busters that they can break out when the kids need a quick activity!

Last week, I shared a cute egg carton flower craft that my son made at school. There are so many different crafts you can make with egg cartons. Almost everyone has an egg carton in the house. With a few supplies and a little imagination, you can really have a lot of inexpensive fun creating egg carton crafts with your kids.

Here are 10 Easy Recycled Crafts Made With Egg Cartons:

1) Jewelry Box by B-Inspired Mama

2) Turtle by Crafty Crafted

3) Lady Bugs by Marin Mommies

4) Counting Game by Sparkle Power

5) Dragons by Juggling with Kids

6) Egg Carton Caterpillar & Butterfly

7) Boats by The Madhouse

8) Painted Prints by The Imagination Tree

9) Floral Fairy Wreath by Mom 2 Posh Little Divas

10) Trucks by Rub Some Dirt On It

Do you know of any others that I missed?