Whether gluing, cutting or painting, crafting is fun for children. If you are thereWaste as craft materialyour children can learn in a playful way how sustainability works. There are so many clever ways to use our trash and create fun art and memories with the little ones. Here we have collected a few simple upcycling ideas for children that you can do together. These great projects stimulate creativity and will hopefully inspire your little ones to design their own projects.
Upcycling simply explained to children
As parents, it is so important to instill in children a sense of love and respect for the planet we call home. Upcycling projects are a creative way to get the whole family involved and talk about how we can all help reduce waste in our homes. But before you start, you should explain to the little ones what exactly is meant by upcycling so that they understand you well.
In principle, upcycling is a form of recycling in which you create something new from seemingly useless objects or trash. In contrast to recycling, upcycling increases the value of the material used by transforming it into something more beautiful that is often also useful. So old makes new, which is also more beautiful and practical.
While older children can understand the upcycling concept quite well, the application example is helpful for younger ones. Here we have collected suitable upcycling ideas for children of all ages that you can try out at home. Get inspired - maybe you'll come up with an even better idea.
DIY plant pots from old cans
With this upcycling idea, tin cans are given funny faces and transformed into atmospheric planters. You can then plant these as desired, for example with easy-care succulents, and use them as decoration for the shelves in the children's room. Here is everything you need for this project:
- recycled tin cans,Labels and glue removed
- Nail and hammer
- Pipe cleaners, pompoms, googly eyes
- Glue or double-sided tape
- plants and soil
First, punch drainage holes into the bottom of the cans using a nail and hammer. Use the nail or a hole punch to make armholes on both sides of the can. Insert a pipe cleaner through the holes and fill the can with soil. Then carefully transfer the plant to the can. Apply double-sided tape to the back of the face pieces (googly eyes, mini pipe cleaner nose and mouth pom-pom) and have the child tape them in place.
Facial tissue box monsters
You can make great toys for the children and with the children out of rubbish. This cardboard monster can also play a role in the upbringing of children. Think of it as the Gossip Monster that your child can share anything with - whether it's talking about everyday life or talking about a fight with their brother or sister, the monster will always listen. If you wish, you can also give the monster a name. This method works wonderfully with smaller children.
To turn the empty tissue box into a gossip monster, you'll need the following:
- empty box of facial tissues
- Spray or acrylic paints
- white sheet of craft foam
- Eiercarton
- Scissors
- Googly eyes
- Glue
First, paint the box a desired color and once it is dry, decorate it as desired with dots, stripes, etc. Then draw a jagged pattern on the craft foam and cut out the teeth. For the eyes, cut twoCup made from an egg cartonand stick the googly eyes on it. To assemble the monster, first glue the teeth along the opening and then the eyes and you're done.
Upcycling ideas for children: DIY bird feeder made from milk cartons
Boxes and cartons of all kindscan be transformed into great things for the home and garden. How do you choose these pretty bird feeders, for example?empty milk cartons? This upcycling idea for children is super quick and easy to do and is perfect for summer crafts. Here are the necessary materials:
- empty milk cartons, washed and dried
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brush
- Water
- Paper towels
- Nail or screwdriver
- String or yarn
- Cuttermesser
- Bird seed
First, cut out the sides of a milk carton with a craft knife (adult help is required here). Then place the cardboard on a protected surface and paint it with acrylic paints. Allow to dry well.
Using a nail or screwdriver, poke a hole in the top of each side of the box. Thread a piece of yarn or string through the box and knot it at the top for hanging. Fill the box with bird food and choose a suitable outdoor spot (e.g. in the garden) to observe birds.
DIY musical instruments: mini banjos made from lids
Children love music and everything that comes with it. Here we'll show you how you can make simple banjos out of the twist-off lids of old preserving jars. You can also use other lids for this project. The deeper the lid, the louder the sounds the banjo produces. What you need:
- large wooden sticks/popsicle sticks (one per banjo)
- colorful rubber bands (3-4 per banjo)
- Washi Tape
- tape
- Sequins/plastic beads
- Craft glue
Place four rubber bands over the lid (as shown above) and secure them with a piece of tape. If desired, you can paint the lids in advance or decorate them with funny faces. Then cut the end of the popsicle stick and decorate it with colored washi tape. Now attach the lid with the rubber bands to the wooden handle with a second piece of tape. Finally, stick the sequins on with small blobs of craft glue or draw the small tuning buttons on the end of the banjo handle with a pen.
You can find more upcycling ideas for children's musical instruments and tips on how you can imitate themin this article.
Simple upcycling ideas for children: piggy bank made from plastic bottles
Does your child already want to have their own money box? Then make this cute piggy bank together from an empty PET bottle. With this idea, the bottle is covered with paper, but if you like, you can also design it with papier-mâché or simply paint it with paint. You can find the necessary materials and simple instructions for the DIY piggy bank below:
- empty plastic bottle, washed and dried
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Pink craft paper
- Marker pen or googly eyes
- Glue or double-sided tape
- 4 additional bottle caps
- Craft knife (suitable for adults only)
Using scissors, cut a strip of pink construction paper to fit around the middle portion of the bottle. Mark a small coin-shaped rectangle in the center of the strip. Then stick the paper on the bottle. Cut around the rectangle to make a coin slot in the bottle and paper. Then paint the lid of the bottle pink. Once the lid is dry, draw two nostrils with a felt-tip pen. Then glue or draw two eyes on the front of the bottle. Draw and cut out two ear shapes and a long, thin strip from the pink paper. Twist the strip to create a curled pig tail. Attach the ears and tail. Glue the remaining bottle caps to the bottom of the bottle to create legs and paint them black if necessary.
Make simple plastic bottle pencil cases
Plastic bottles, old cans and empty toilet paper rolls are great for tidying up the children's desk. You can use it to make original pen holders or a simple pencil case like this one. For a pencil case you need the bottom of two identical plastic bottles. These are connected to each other with a zipper so that little hands can easily get to the inside. You can paint or glue the homemade pencil cases or, as in the example, leave them empty so that the contents can be seen better. Now the necessary materials to make a cool upcycling pencil case out of plastic bottles:
- 2 water bottles (same size and brand)
- 1 zipper (long enough to fit around the circumference of the bottle)
- Hot glue
- Scissors
First, cut off the tops of your bottles. Decide how long you want the case to be and cut the bottles to the appropriate size. (Remember: If you're making a pencil case for longer items like pens or markers, you'll want to make one bottle longer and the other short. This way, the pencils can usually fit into the bottom of the longer end of the case and the shorter end fits over the pens).
Next, make sure the zipper fits around the bottle, with a slight overlap at one end. Once you have enough overlap, tuck the ends under as much as necessary.
Now start gluing one side of the zipper to the inside of the bottle with the correct side of the zipper facing out. Make sure the zipper track is about 3 millimeters away from the bottle so that the zipper pull can work freely without running into the edge of the bottle.
Continue gluing the zipper around the inside lip of the bottle rim, being careful not to get any glue on the zipper tracks. Once you reach the end, overlap the ends of the zipper fabric onto the other end of the zipper and tape it in place.
Now start gluing the other side of the zipper to the other plastic bottle. Start with the free end of the zipper, making sure your bottle is positioned correctly. Continue gluing until the other half of the zipper is fully attached. Insert your accessories and you're done.
