Repurposed Crystal Light Container=Travel Crayon Holder

Around here crayons staying in the original box is a rare thing. However, I have found the perfect solution. Empty Crystal Light containers make the perfect crayon holder that’s great for on the go. They fit nicely in the diaper bag and are just the right size for little hands to hold.

What kinds of containers have you repurposed?

Tissue Paper Collage Heart

What toddler doesn’t love ripping paper? I know mine does any chance she can, so this was the perfect Valentine’s Day craft for her. She had a whole pile of tissue paper to tear up an nobody was telling her no!

{Supplies}

an empty cereal box, paper scraps(we used tissue paper), glue

1. Tear the paper into small pieces.

2. Cut a heart from the cereal box and cover it with glue.

3. Now, just let your child glue the tissue paper on the heart anyway they want to. Stella loved this part! When the paper would stick to her fingers, she would giggle and yell, “Sticky, sticky!”

All finished!

Toilet Paper Roll Turkey

I love making any project that I can add my kids’ handprint to. It’s fun to pull these little keepsakes out every year and remember just how tiny they once were.

This one is super easy and made mostly with recycled materials.

1. Stella painted a toilet paper roll with some brown paint (and did a little tasting as well).

2. Then, using a brown paper bag, Stella and I printed several  handprints with different colors of paint. (After all that hard work, Stella took a nice long nap!)

3. While sleeping beauty got some rest, I added the feathers and face to her turkey. First, I fanned out the handprints and glue them together.

Then I glued on the body of the turkey (the toilet paper roll).

And finally, I added some google eyes and a beak.

I'm linking up here:

Recycled Crayons

Every year at back to school time, we replenish all of our crayons with new ones. However, we don’t just toss the old crayons. We recycle them into new crayons that are perfect for toddlers!

First, you need to peel and sort your old broken crayons and put them in a muffin tin.

Next, place the muffin tin in a 265 degree oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes. (or until just melted)

Remove then pan from the oven and allow the crayons to cool and harden. To make it easier to get the crayons out, I put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes or so. Then, just pop them out and color!

Bubble Snake Maker

Bubbles are a staple for summertime fun at our house and there are many different ways to use them. This is one of our favorites! We have been making bubble snake makers for the past few years and the kids never get tired of using them.

Cut the bottom off an empty soda bottle.
Attach a washcloth to the bottom with a rubber band.
Dip the washcloth into some bubble solution and blow through the top.
Of course there is usually a competition to see who can blow the longest bubble snake!

Torn Paper Shamrock

Every time we do a craft involving construction paper, I save the scraps to use later. This is one of those projects that uses up some of our scraps.

1. Tear some green construction paper into small pieces. Madelyn always has fun tearing paper!

2. While she was tearing up the scraps, I cut a shamrock out of an old cereal box.

 

3. Spread some glue on the shamrock.

 

4. Glue the scraps all over it.

You have an easy peasy shamrock. :)

Love Bugs

After a week of snowman crafts,  I think it's time for something with a little more color. So we are moving on to Valentine's Day crafts. Although, I might still sneak in a few more snowmen because they are just so dang cute. But for now, it's a Love Bug!

{You will need}
a toilet paper roll
construction paper
paint
pipe cleaners
tape, crayons, and anything else you want to embellish your Love Bug with

1. Paint the toilet paper roll. Madelyn chose red, but pick whatever color you like!
2. Cut out 2 hearts for wings.
3. Decorate your wings.
4. Tape the wings to the back of the toilet paper roll and attach some curled pipe cleaners to the inside of the top part of the roll.

Just add a face and you have your very own love bug. (Wiggly eyes would really look cute, but that's another thing we are out of here. I really need to re-stock!)

(Oldie but Goodie) Lacing Cards

I don't know about you, but at our house, I can always find an old greeting card of some type laying around. My girls are collectors of old cards and they never want to throw any away. So, this is a great way to recycle these cards into something fun!

1. Select a card or postcard.


2. If using a folded card, glue it closed.


3. Using a hole punch, punch some holes around the outside edge.


4. Now your child can "sew" around the outside using a shoe lace or a piece of yarn with tape around the end.


*If you would like to reinforce your lacing card a bit more, you can cover it with clear contact paper before punching the holes.

Recycled Greenhouse

Lately, the girls have been really interested in growing things from seeds and gardening in general. I love that! Digging in the dirt and watching things grow is one of my favorite things to do with them. This week we planted some more flower seeds using a recycled container from the grocery store bakery. It created the perfect little "greenhouse" and the seeds started to sprout very quickly! Soon, we will have more beautiful blooms to add to our flower garden. Simple things like this get the girls very excited and make them so proud!

Lacing Cards

I don't know about you, but at our house, I can always find an old greeting card of some type laying around. My girls are collectors of old cards and they never want to throw any away. So, this is a great way to recycle these cards into something fun!

1. Select a card or postcard.


2. If using a folded card, glue it closed.


3. Using a hole punch, punch some holes around the outside edge.


4. Now your child can "sew" around the outside using a shoe lace or a piece of yarn with tape around the end.


*If you would like to reinforce your lacing card a bit more, you can cover it with clear contact paper before punching the holes.

Egg Carton Flowers and Caterpillars

In honor of Earth Day, we made a couple of projects today using some egg cartons. I try to save as much as I can to reuse at craft time. Egg cartons, milk jugs and cartons, cans, paper towel tubes, bottles, etc. are great to make a variety of projects. Here are just two examples of thing you can make with egg cartons.



The flowers were made by cutting individual sections of the egg carton and painting them. I then added a pipe cleaner for the stem by poking it through the egg carton section. I added buttons to the center to give it more color.



You can make a caterpillar by cutting an egg carton in half and painting it. Add a pipe cleaner for the antennae and some eyes. You could also make an ant by cutting it into a three section piece and painting it black. Happy Earth Day!

Snowman Made With Packing Material

This project is one that came to me after we were left with an overabundance of packing material from some Christmas deliveries. I hate to throw that stuff away when I know I can use it for something else. So here is our recycled snowman.

1. Cut out the silhouette of a snowman from a piece of cardboard. I used an empty cereal box.

2. Have your child paint the snowman white. Allow it to dry.

3. When it's dry, cover it with glue.

4. Cover the snowman with the packing material.

5. Glue on a face and add some arms. I taped pipe cleaner arms to the back of the snowman. He's finished:)