Recycling crafts
We should recycle things so that less stuff ends up going into the bin and dumped in the ground. It also saves energy if we use things again instead of getting rid of them and getting new things. Also it is fun and you can make loads of different things from 'junk' which can be good to play with or really useful. Here are some ideas of things that you could try doing at home that we have enjoyed and we thought you might enjoy them too.
Bottle top people
You will need 4 bottle tops (1 bigger and 3 small), some string, something to make holes like a metal skewer, and some pens
1. In the big bottle top, make 5 holes on the edge that can fit string through, 1 at the top, 2 at the sides and 2 at the bottom
2. In 2 small bottle tops put holes in the middle and in the other one put 2 holes on the edge, top and bottom
3. Put string through the holes on the big bottle top with knots to stop it pulling out, then join it to the other bottles so it looks like it has a head (you can use a piece of sting right the way through the head to then hold it with), and has arms and feet.
4. Then decorate it with pens or wool for hair or googly eyes and have fun with your bottle top friends!
A simple plant pot
You can use yoghurt pots or plastic bottles to make simple plant pots. Wash them out really well and with the plastic bottles, cut off the top. If you are going to put a tray or something underneath then put holes in the bottom so that the water drains, but if you are just putting it somewhere without anything under it then don't put holes in. You can then decorate the plant pot using pens. Then just fill them with soil and plant seeds in it.
If you use a big plastic bottle, you could just put a bit of soil in the bottom to grow plants and then the sides will help work a bit like a greenhouse so the plants grow better.
Bird feeder
There are lots of different ways you could recycle a bottle to make a bird feeder. We decided to lie the bottle on its side and cut off parts at each end. We put a couple of holes in the bottom so any water would drain out, then we put some sticks through for birds to stand on. Finally we put some string through the bottle and tied it together to make something we could use to hang it up with.
We got some wild bird seed to put in our feeder. It got eaten really quickly!
Marble run
To make a marble run you will need a wall or a surface to stick it to, some cardboard such as toilet roll tubes, toothpaste boxes, paper plates, and some tape.
First you need to make some channels for the marble to go down. The easiest ones we found were either toilet tubes cut in half, or toothpaste boxes with the ends taken off.
Then you need some corners to make the marble change direction. This can be folded cardboard or just a small piece of card that the marble hits and changes direction. We also made a spinning tube for the marble to go down with a cone of paper, and you can make a spinning section with a paper plate if you are really careful when you cut it to make a spiral.
Start sticking the pieces onto your wall with tape. Keep checking that the marble goes down without getting stuck or falling off after you have stuck each piece. You might need to move them around a bit to get it to work properly.
Then you have made your marble run and you can play with it. Try different marbles or balls, have marble races, or even make different route to see which works best.
Toy boats
Plastic bottles, foil, and other material that usually goes into the bin are all great for making toy boats. You can cut a plastic bottle in half and then decorate it, or you can get foil and shape it or use foam or cardboard and shape this. We found out that Sellotape is really bad in water though, it just stops sticking!
After making a toy boat it is fun to test it in a paddling pool, sink or bath - you could see how well it moves or how much weight it will hold.
Box buildings
Cardboard boxes are great to make buildings out of. From simple houses to castles or pyramids, they can be used for anything if you have some scissors and some tape. To make the castle we cut the box sides off to use as walls, cutting some doors and windows in places, and used some smaller boxes for the guard house and turret. For the pyramid we folded a flat piece of card along the diagonals, cut nearly to the middle, cut off a bit of each triangle then taped the triangles together. We are going to use the buildings to play with some clay monster models that we made. You could make buildings for anything you like.
Sock bunnies
Sock bunnies are easy to make, a good way to use odd socks instead of putting them in the bin, and really cute! To make your sock bunny, first get an old sock and fill it about 10cm up with rice or lentils. Then tie the top tightly so the rice doesn't come out. Take about the top third of the filled sock and put another piece of string around it, this will make a head. For the tail you can either pinch a liny bit of the filled sock and tie it tightly, or you can stick on a little pompom or bit of cotton wool instead. Take the top of the sock which does not have anything in, and cut it to the length you want the ears to be, then cut it down the middle. This will make 2 floppy ears. Now you can decorate it with pens or googly eyes and a ribbon around the neck.
Poppy
This is a good and quite easy craft to do for remembrance day.
To make the flower of the poppy, cut the end off a plastic bottle about 3cm from the bottom with sharp scissors or a knife. If you want it to look more like different petals then cut this as a wobbly line. Use sand paper to make the edges more smooth or to shape them more. Then paint it red on both sides. Stick a black button on the middle of the inside of the bottle end, or if you don't have one then paint this part black. Get a piece of paper or newspaper and roll it into a tube, then stick it together. Paint this part green. Then use glue or Sellotape to stick this to the back of the poppy.