With Earth Day quickly approaching I thought I would share a craft that my daughter and I did.
I have been saving baby food jars for awhile and have found various crafts to do with them that can be useful, decorative or just plain fun. After all it is Earth month and this is a great Recycled Craft!
We have used the baby food jars to create cute pencil holders. We used scraps of construction paper to create a princess and prince around the jar. I use them to hold scissors and crayons or paintbrushes.
Another way we used a jar was to paint it with special glass paint and then turn it into a cute little vase. We made tissue paper flowers and I used small pipe cleaners left over from another craft to make the stems. (I didn’t need long pipe cleaners because the jars are small.)
I save scraps all the time because you never know when they will come in handy!!
Happy Crafting!!!
This is a great site for teachers or the Homeschool Mom. I used this site often when I was a teacher. It is Apples4theteacher.com.
This link has Earth Day printables:
Turn old T-shirts into reusable shopping or grocery bags.
Tools and Material:
Heavy weight cotton T-shirt
Pins
Sewing Machine
Medium-size bowl
Water-erasable marking pen
Scissors
T-Shirt Bag How-To:
1. Turn T-shirt inside out and pin bottom of shirt along the hem. Using a sewing machine sew the bottom closed. Flip shirt right side out and lay flat on table, making sure all seams are lined up.
2. Place medium-sized bowl about half way over thence hole. Using a water-erasable marking pen, trace along the edge of the bowl. Cut along the outline, making sure to go through the front and backsides of the shirt, in order to create an opening for the bag that’s larger than what the neck allows.
3. Line up the hems on the front and back side of the sleeve and cut, making sure to go through both sides of the shirt. Repeat on the other sleeve.
Tip: A jersey shirt would also work well for this craft, as it is already sleeveless, and it’s made of a great mesh material.
Resource: Water-erasable markers can be purchased at fabric stores for about $5.
Total Time Needed:
1-2 Hours
A tisket, a tasket: this colorful basket is created from strips of recycled magazines. Fill your container with shredded scrap paper for a greener take on Easter grass.
Materials
• Magazine covers
• Ruler
• Scissors and craft knife
• Clear tape
Instructions
1.
2. To make the base, cut a 9-inch square from a magazine cover. Use the ruler to draw a tic-tac-toe grid across the square, then cut it as shown, leaving four tabs (these will be the basket's sides).
3. With the craft knife, cut four slits in each tab as shown (an adult's job). Fold the four tabs up.
4. Cut more magazine covers into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Starting at the bottom, weave the strips in and out of the slits. When one strip ends, tape it in place, then begin weaving the next strip until all the sides are covered.
5. Tape on a strip to serve as a handle.
Tips:
Younger kids might find it easier to make the base from card stock, which is a bit sturdier.
Tie-Dye Tuffets
Materials
• 2 coffee filters
• Egg dye in various colors
• 1-inch-tall segment of cardboard tube
• White glue
Instructions
1. Fold each filter into quarters and dip its edges and point into a different-color dye. Unfold the filters and let them dry on a paper towel or draped over an empty egg carton.
2. When the filters are dry, fold them again and snip fringe along the edges. If you plan to make the collage eggs below, reserve the trimmings.
3. Lay each filter flat. Lightly coat the outside of a tube segment with glue, then put it at the filter's center. Gather the filter around the tube, adhering it to the sides. Repeat with the other filter. (For small eggs, double up the tube segments, fitting one inside the other.)
Variations:
Bonus Idea! Don't toss the coffee-filter trimmings from the tuffets; instead, use them to make pretty collage eggs. Simply brush hard-boiled eggs with watered-down white glue, stick on the trimmings, and brush the eggs with another coat of glue. Let them dry for an hour.
Melted Crayon Eggs
Total Time Needed:
30 Minutes or less
When the most humble of art supplies meets the shell of a just-boiled egg, the crayon wax softens, and the colors swirl together in a magical way. The results are fast, fun, and gorgeous.
Materials
• white eggs
• tongs
• empty egg carton
• crayons
Instructions
1. Hard-boil white eggs. Remove them from the hot water with tongs or a slotted spoon, dry them, and rest them in an empty egg carton or on plastic bottle caps (an adult's job).
2. Color them with the crayons' tips or remove the paper coverings and use the crayons' sides. For a speckled effect, grate a crayon and sprinkle the bits over the eggs. The waxy eggs are very slippery, so take care when turning them to color the underside.
3. When you're done coloring, leave them to dry for about an hour.
Carrot Patch Cookies
A crop of these tiny treats will add whimsy to any Easter or springtime celebration.
Ingredients
• Orange Mike and Ike candies
• Green gummy candy (we used Rips licorice pieces, which are flat)
• Nabisco Biscos sugar wafer cookies
• Chocolate frosting
• Chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
Instructions
1. To make each carrot, cut a slit in one end of a Mike and Ike candy with a sharp knife (an adult's job). Cut a small triangle from the green gummy candy (if needed, roll it flat), then fringe the base to form leaves. Tuck the triangle into the slit of the Mike and Ike and pinch it closed.
2. For each carrot planter, place a wafer cookie base on a flat surface. Form the longer walls from two whole cookies and cut a third one to fit the shorter ends. Attach the pieces with frosting.
3. To fill four planters, combine 2 tablespoons frosting with 2 tablespoons cookie crumbs. Fill each box with the mixture, then press three candy carrots inside. If needed, add more of the frosting mixture to hold the carrots in place.
Notes:
We used Biscos because they're smaller than many other brands. If you use a larger cookie, increase the amount of frosting and cookie crumbs.
Disney Family Fun Link:
Busy Bee Kids Craft Link:
