Upcycle your Recycling into Kid-Friendly Crafts
Diapers, wipes, formula. Daycare and/or preschool. Accessories for sports, dance, and other extracurriculars. Designer clothes; electronics. And of course there’s that one expense parents dread most: College tuition.
It’s sad but true: Raising children is an expensive adventure.
But I maintain the belief that minimalism is possible, especially when kids are young. Here’s why: my three-year old doesn’t care about the greatest, the shiniest, or the sleekest toy; instead, she gravitates toward anything that’s novel. So for the past two weeks – before I wheeled that oversized green recycle bin to the end of my driveway – I took a good look inside and I asked myself what could be reused in ways to foster Ani’s creativity. Inspired by my own recycle bin, below are our latest projects.
Cardboard Boxes
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If Amazon Prime is a Godsend, Subscribe & Save is chocolate cake marinated in ice cream. But the countless boxes at my doorstep? Not so much. My daughter wanted to make a television out of one such box and, together, we made it happen.
Old Crayons
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I peeled the paper from daughter’s old, stubby crayons. Then I laid them atop a piece of cardboard in my driveway’s sunniest spot. When thoroughly melted (about thirty minutes on a hot, humid day) I gave my daughter a straw. She blew the colors around. The blues and yellows melded to make green, which encouraged a discussion about primary and secondary colors.
Bubble Wrap
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We made a stomp painting! First I taped bubble wrap to the soles of my daughter’s feet, then I let her go crazy.
Old corks, feathers, cotton balls, bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard, a sponge, popcorn + a scouring pad
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Here’s my take a modern-day printmaking. I placed the above items atop an ink pad for easiest clean up. Then I encouraged my daughter to roll, swab, slide, and brush on an oversized piece of paper.
Unusable pieces of gift wrap
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I took those awkward pieces of wrapping paper sitting amongst the gift bags and cut them into manageable shapes. Then I let my daughter go to town making a collage, which I later turned into bookmarks for her grandfathers.
Empty Egg Cartons
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We made bath time infinitely more enjoyable with homemade sailboats.
Unusable pieces of gift wrap
Ideal for hot summer days, individual yogurt containers made the perfect homemade popsicle mold. Together my daughter and I made some of the recipes found here. Later, I happily served her a treat heavy on fruit and light on artificial sugar and dyes. Ani didn’t even notice the difference!
