Waste not, want not
Filed Under Going Green, Multi-tasking, Tips & Tricks | April 21, 2008
In honor of Earth Day tomorrow we asked one of our favourite crafty mamas, Keri from Craft Caravan for some ideas for eco-friendly crafts for kids. She suggested having fun with your household waste before it hits the compost or recycling bin. After all, a third of our household waste is paper products, and another third is organic waste.* Here are Keri’s ingenious ideas for reusing common items before recycling them:
Paper Waste:
Seedling Starter Pot – use old newspaper for your planting projects. Fold a long piece of newsprint in half lengthwise and roll it around a can, leaving some overhang to create the bottom. Fold the overhanging paper towards the centre of the can, push the can down onto a table and scrunch the paper to create a pot bottom. Remove can. Add soil and seeds. Once seedlings sprout, they can be planted directly into the ground without removing the ‘pot’.
Stamp Roller Art Project – decorate a toilet paper roll with peel and stick foam stickers. Roll the toilet paper roll in tempura paint so that the paint covers the stickers. Roll your “stamper” onto paper, creating a beautiful repeating pattern.
Egg Carton Sorting Game – open an egg carton and colour the bottom of each egg cup a different colour. Challenge your child to sort different coloured beads, small toys, hair accessories, or other small items into the matching coloured cups. Note: Egg cartons also make great storage containers for small craft supplies such as googly eyes, buttons, beads, etc.
Organic Waste:
Tea Bag Treasure Map – your old tea bags might not be strong enough to brew another cup, but they are perfect for aging a plain piece of paper. Draw your treasure map, carefully tear the edges, and then wipe a wet (used) tea bag all over it. Crumple the paper into a ball and let it dry. When you open your map, it will have aged 100 years!
Coffee Grounds Dinosaur Eggs – Mix equal parts used coffee grounds and flour with half as much each of sand, salt and water. Knead mixture into dough until smooth, then roll into balls and push a small dinosaur or other toy into the centre. Let the ‘eggs’ dry for a few days and then have fun breaking them open, but be warned – if you let them dry for more than a week you’ll need a hammer to break them open.
Make an Egg Shell collage - dye used egg shells using a few drops of food colouring mixed with a cup of water and a tablespoon of vinegar. Crush the shells and then make a mosaic-type picture by gluing onto construction paper.
One final tip – it’s inevitable that many craft projects will end up in the recycle bin. Before they make their way, make sure to remove googly eyes, popsicle sticks, beads, buttons, and any other decorating supplies that can be used again!
*Source: EcoKids www.ecokids.ca
Keri Zingle is a mother of two and driver of the Craft Caravan. If you’re not crafty yourself or strapped for time, check out their monthly craft club and receive everything you need in the mail: www.craftcaravan.com
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Let us know what you think or share your great finds with us so we can share them with other Vancouver mothers!
That seedling pot tip is genious!