Recycled Art Ideas #1 - Don't throw it away!

Don't just throw things away without thinking about how your child might use it for a "creation". Here are just some materials that can be used again for art: A few ideas to get you thinking too!

Cereal boxes: Break them open and use the blank inside cardboard for many things, a more study surface for a clay creation, material for painting, an adult can cut it into shapes and children can use it for a stencil.

Egg cartons: Cut the carton apart and use the individual cups as flowers, poke a hole, add a pipe cleaner, and paint it. Make a whole garden. Take half of the carton, and make a caterpillar. Paint it and add google eyes and pipe cleaner antenna.
You can also cut the egg carton into 3 sections of four and add paint with small brushes. This makes clean up easier too, just toss when finished. You can make homemade paint too (or buy some). Cut up the egg carton and let your child glue the sections onto the cereal box for a sculpture. Use craft glue for extra holding power.

Toilet paper, paper towel tubes, or wrapping paper tubes:
Cut them into little sections and let children create a sculpture with them (again, use your cereal box as a base). Cut slits an inch up one end and bend that portion out. Dip in paint and it makes cool designs. Cut up and down zip zags into it and use it with sand as a tool to make designs.
Children also have fun playing with the tubs and small cars, they can angle them and see how far the car rolls.

Before you throw it away, think about how you can make something out of it first.


More ideas to come........