Recycle It!
Created by Carol Ann Bloom/skydog Many of the things we use everyday…things we read, paper we write on, containers for our food, toys we play with, and even the packages they are in…are made from materials that come from our Earth. These materials are part of the planet’s resources. Earth has a limited supply of these precious resources. When we use and use and use so many things made from Earth’s resources and just throw them away only to buy and use more, we are treating the limited resources of our planet like garbage. By following the Three R’s…Reduce, Reuse and Recycle… we can take better care of Earth’s resources. We can reduce the Earth’s garbage by Reusing and Recycling everyday. Instead of continuing to take more new materials from the Earth, we can use many of the same materials over and over again. One of the easiest and most fun ways to help planet Earth is to recycle. When you Reuse and Recycle you help to save energy, cut down on pollution, protect animals, and improve your own community. One way to recycle is to reuse something you usually throw in the garbage to make Many of the things we throw away can be reused in craft and art projects. Here are three items we often throw in the garbage and three fun ways to use each item again. Try these “Recycle It!” activities and think of more ways to reuse and recycle instead of just wasting and throwing away.
Recycle It! 3 Things To Do With A Cereal Box
Created by Carol Ann Bloom/skydog
1 - Make a Cereal Box Puzzle
The fronts of cereal boxes are often bright and colorful. Follow these directions to make them into fun puzzles! Cut the front from a cereal box. Recycle the rest or keep it to make other small things like a bookmark, a stencil or pattern for something, or a folder for papers. Turn the cereal box front over and use a pencil to divide the back into different shaped sections like puzzle pieces. Divide it into a few large sections to make an easy puzzle or lots of smaller sections to make a more difficult puzzle. Use scissors to cut on the pencil lines. You will be cutting the front of the cereal box into puzzle pieces. Turn all the pieces over, colored sides facing up, and put the Cereal Box Puzzle back together. For a real challenge, make several puzzles with different kinds of cereal boxes, mix all the pieces and try to put them together to make each different cereal box picture! You can also make a Cereal Box Picture Puzzle. Cut out a magazine picture you like such as a picture of an animal or a beautiful Earth scene (mountain, desert, waterfall, or ocean). You can also use a picture you drew. Glue the picture on the front of the cereal box (over the picture already there). Turn it over and use a pencil to divide the back into different shaped sections like puzzle pieces. Follow the directions above to finish your Picture Puzzle. Recycle an empty cereal box to store your Cereal Box Puzzles. Just use a large paper clip to hold all the pieces for each puzzle together and drop them in the empty box.
2 - Make a Cereal Box Book Holder
Cut off the top of an empty cereal box. Cut off one of the narrow sides of the box to within four inches of the bottom. You now have a cereal box with a front, back, bottom, one complete narrow side, and one narrow side that is only 4” long. Use a ruler to draw a slanted line from one 4” side up to the top left corner of the front of the cereal box. Draw another slanted line from the other 4” side up to the top right corner of the back of the cereal box. Cut on both slanted lines. You will be cutting off a triangle-shaped section from both the front and the back of the box.
Cover your Cereal Box Book Holder any way you choose: paint the box cut a piece of fabric to fit the box and attach it with glue cut a piece of gift wrap that will fit the box and glue it in place attach a plain piece of paper with glue and use markers, crayons, pencils, or stickers to decorate the paper yourself Use your Cereal Box Book Holder on a desk, table, or shelf to hold your books, magazines, papers, or homework.
3 - Make a Cereal Box Art Frame (and a few Cereal Box Bookmarks too!)
Cut the front and back from a cereal box. Reuse the sides, top and bottom pieces of the box to make bookmarks. The narrow sides, top and bottom are perfect shapes for bookmarks. Cut the pieces to any length you choose, cover the front and back with paper and decorate. Use markers, pencil drawings, or attach stickers, magazine pictures, photos, or cut paper to decorate your bookmarks. Place your Cereal Box Bookmarks in any book you are reading to mark your page. The front and back of the cereal box will make two frames. To make an opening in the frame (where your artwork or photo will show through), fold the cereal box section in half first before cutting. Don’t worry about the fold because it will not show when you cover the frame. Place your scissors on the fold and cut out a square or a rectangle. The size shape you cut out will determine the size of your frame: cut a large square or rectangle and the frame will be narrow; cut a smaller square or rectangle and the frame will be wider.
You will have two pieces: a square or rectangle or a square and a frame. Reuse the square or rectangle for another project. Use a hole punch to place two holes in the top of the frame. Place a 14” piece of ribbon or yarn through the holes and tie it to form a loop. Use the loop to hang up the frame.
Cover the Cereal Box Frame any way you choose: cut pieces of yarn to fit the length or width of the frame and glue them side by side on the frame trace the frame onto colored paper, cut out, and attach the paper to the frame with glue; decorate the plain paper with markers or stickers cut colorful magazine pictures into one inch and two inch squares and glue them on the frame like a mosaic place strips of colored tape up and down or side to side on the frame To place a magazine picture, photo, or piece of your artwork in the frame, attach it to the back of the frame. Lay the frame face down and place the item you are framing over the opening (also face down). Place small pieces of tape on the corners of the item to hold it in the frame. Hang up your Cereal Box Frame and enjoy your artwork! Be proud of yourself too…you made something useful (a frame) from something that might have just been discarded (a cereal box)!
Recycle It! 3 Things To Do With A Plastic Bottle
Created by Carol Ann Bloom/skydog
1 - Make A Plastic Bottle Insect Observatory
Children’s poet, Christina Rossetti wrote, “Hurt no living thing; Ladybug nor Butterfly…” But sometimes it’s fun to catch insects and observe them for a while. We can learn a lot from watching the behaviors of other living things. Be certain, when catching or trapping insects, to do it gently and carefully. Keep them in a container with air holes and release them into the same area where they were caught. Keep insects you catch for as short a time as possible. Remember, they are living creatures and belong in their own environment. Make a “bug friendly” observatory using an empty clear two or three liter plastic soda or water bottle. Remove the label from the bottle. Rinse and dry the bottle. Ask a grown-up to help you cut off the top third of the bottle. Recycle the top third or reuse it…the tops of bottles make very good funnels. Just turn the top upside-down and the pour section can be placed into another container. Then pour into the larger section and the bottle top will “funnel” whatever it is you are pouring into another container! Cut a six inch square of mesh or tulle fabric. You can recycle again for this project by using the mesh from a vegetable or fruit bag. Place the mesh square over the top of the plastic bottle and secure it with a rubber band. If the holes in the mesh are too big, use two pieces of mesh and overlap them to make the holes smaller. The plastic bottle can be decorated using permanent markers. Write your name, the names of insects you know about and draw bugs, flowers, trees, or anything you choose to decorate the bottle. When you catch a bug or insect you want to observe for a short time, place it in your Plastic Bottle Insect Observatory and fasten the mesh on the bottle with the rubber band. You can also add some grass, small stones, twigs, or leaves to the bottle before carefully placing the insect inside.
2 - Make A Plastic Bottle Reminder
Remove the label from a two or three liter plastic soda or water bottle. Rinse and dry the bottle. Fill the bottle halfway with sand or small pebbles. Place a bit of glue around the top of the bottle before replacing the cap tightly. This will keep the cap from coming loose. Place 6 – 8 thick rubber bands around the bottle. Space the rubber bands evenly apart.
Cut a stack of paper (3” x 3” is a good size) and use a hole punch to place a hole in the top left-hand corner of each piece. This is an excellent use for scrap paper. Cut an 8” piece of yarn or ribbon. Place the yarn or ribbon through the holes in the paper. Tie the ends of the yarn or ribbon in a bow. This will make a loop of yarn with a stack of paper hanging from it. Hang the loop of yarn with attached paper down over the top of the bottle. Use your Plastic Reminder Bottle anytime you need to remember something or give yourself a reminder. Pull a piece of paper from the stack attached on the yarn and write your reminder on it. Then just tuck the paper reminder under any of the rubber bands on the bottle. Write reminders for things you have to do or make, special birthdays and other events, telephone numbers, homework assignments, places you need to go and anything else you don’t want to forget. When you use all the paper hanging on the yarn, cut and attach another stack. Remove the reminders when you have accomplished them. If you like you can give yourself a star sticker for each reminder you accomplish and remove! Just place the star stickers directly on the plastic bottle. When the bottle is full of stickers, you can make another Reminder Bottle. Set your Reminder Bottle on your desk, table, shelf, windowsill or anywhere you will see it often. Make your Plastic Bottle Reminder as colorful as you choose: use colored sand or pebbles, colored yarn, and different colors of paper.
3 – Make A Plastic Bottle Doorstop
Keeping doors open on a hot day is a great way to cool your house or your room naturally. A circulating breeze or light wind is an Earth friendly way to keep cool. It is an energy saver too…no need for running air conditioners or electric fans! Sometimes a strong breeze will blow your door shut with a bang. You can keep doors from blowing closed with a doorstop. A doorstop is a heavy object you set on the floor in front of the door to keep it open. Remove the label from a two or three liter plastic soda or water bottle. Rinse and dry the bottle. Decorate the bottle with permanent markers or water-based acrylic paint (sold in small bottles at all craft stores).
Draw designs on your bottle such as dots, stripes, and shapes or draw pictures such as animals, flowers, butterflies, cars, or anything else you like to draw. You might want to draw a red STOP sign on the front of the doorstop! When you finish decorating the bottle, fill it with sand or small pebbles. Place a bit of glue around the top of the bottle before replacing the cap tightly. This will keep the cap from coming loose. You can fill the bottle with colored sand, if you choose. Pour in all one color or use several colors, adding about a two inch layer of each color. If you use colored sand, you might want to draw the decorations on the bottle with only a black marker, so they will be seen easily against the colored sand. Draw with both black and colored markers if you fill the bottle with white or light-colored sand. Set your Plastic Bottle Doorstop in front of any open door to keep it from blowing closed. Make more than one to keep several doors open. They also make fun and very useful gifts!
Recycle It! 3 Things To Do With A Cardboard Paper Towel Tube
Created by Carol Ann Bloom/skydog
1 – Make A Paper Towel Tube Hummer
Cut a cardboard paper towel tube in half. Decorate the tube any way you choose. use crayons or markers cut a piece of gift wrap to fit and attach it with tape (this is also a great way to recycle used gift wrap)
cut a picture from a magazine and attach it with tape (a fun way to recycle magazines too) cut a piece of plain paper to fit and attach it with tape Cut a 3” square of waxed paper. Wrap the wax paper over one end of the tube and secure it with a rubber band. Use a hole punch to make a row of several holes on one side of the other end of the tube. To create music with your Cardboard Paper Towel Tube Hummer, hum into the uncovered end of the tube as you move your fingers over the holes.
2 – Make A Paper Towel Tube Catch-Ball Decorate a cardboard paper towel tube any way you choose. use crayons or markers cut a piece of gift wrap to fit and attach it with tape (this is also a great way to recycle used gift wrap) cut a picture from a magazine and attach it with tape (a fun way to recycle magazines too) cut a piece of plain paper to fit and attach it with tape Use a hole punch to make a hole on one end of the tube. Put an 18” piece of yarn or string through the hole. Knot one end of the yarn several times, making it large enough so it won’t slip through the hole. Use a piece of tape to attach the knot to the inside of the tube. Tie the other end of the yarn around a large pompom or several cotton balls. Crinkle a large piece of aluminum foil around the pompom or cotton ball (with the yarn attached). Make sure the foil ball is larger than the opening in the end of the tube. Here’s how to play Catch-Ball: Hold the tube in one hand with the yarn hanging from the bottom. Swing the yarn with ball attached to create a looping, circular motion. At the same time move the tube and try to catch the ball on the top open end of the tube.
3 – Make A Paper Towel Tube Carry-Along Journal Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top left-hand corner of 10 pieces of paper. Stack the paper and place an 8” piece of yarn or ribbon through the holes. Tie the yarn in a knot to hold the papers together. This is your journal. Decorate a cardboard paper towel tube any way you choose. use crayons or markers cut a piece of gift wrap to fit and attach it with tape (this is also a great way to recycle used gift wrap) cut a picture from a magazine and attach it with tape (a fun way to recycle magazines too) cut a piece of plain paper to fit and attach it with tape Wrap a thick rubber band around one end of the tube. Tuck a pencil or pen under the rubber band. Roll up your journal and slide it into the tube. Let the yarn or ribbon hang from the end. Tuck your Carry-Along Journal in your pocket or backpack for writing or drawing anytime and anywhere.