Recycle Craft Ideas With Used Drink Containers
Before you throw that water bottle or juice box away take another look at it. You can use those as well as other common household items to make some fun kids crafts during those rainy spring days. Here are some fun ideas for kids’ spring crafts using recycled drink containers.
Before we get to the ideas here’s a video with a pretty spring card kids can make and give to a friend or loved one:
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1. Milk Jugs
Even if you don’t drink milk, other beverages come in these handy plastic jugs, from spring water to orange juice. Here’s an idea for a 2-in-1 craft using a plastic jug.
Flower Pot and Cut Flower Holder
Materials:
* Clean, empty, plastic jug
* Utility knife or serrated bread knife
* Craft foam
* Hot glue gun
* Scissors
* Coffee filters
* Soil
* Easter grass
* Cut flowers
* Colored duct tape
Grown-ups: Cut the jug in half using the utility knife or bread knife. First, we’ll use the bottom half. Poke a few holes in the bottom with the scissors.
Kids: Cut springtime shapes out of the craft foam. Suggestions might be clouds, rain drops, grass blades, umbrellas, and flowers.
Grown-ups and kids can work together to run a strip of duct tape around the top of the jug bottom, leaving about an inch over the top. Fold this inch over onto the inside of the jug, one side at a time. This reinforces the edge and makes a nice border. Hot-glue about half of the craft foam shapes to the outside of the jug bottom. Place a coffee filter in the bottom and fill the pot with soil; plant seeds or live flowers.
With the top half, do the same thing. The cut edge is the top – run duct tape around it to make a border like before. Glue shapes to the outside. When you place cut flowers inside, the jug’s narrow neck holds the flowers upright. Fill the rest of the space with Easter grass.
2. Plastic Water Bottles
Here is a fun idea for a plastic water bottle craft.
Stained “Glass” Candle Holder
* Empty, plastic water bottle
* Translucent plastic paint, such as you get with kids’ plastic stained “glass” kits
* Scissors
* Tea light
Grown-ups, cut the top of the bottle off so that you have a cylinder (the top should not taper). Older kids can cut the top edge into interesting shapes, like waves or, if they want a more dramatic shape, they can cut almost to the bottom to make grass-blade-like shapes. Use the paint to make random colorful designs and allow to dry. Place the tea light on the inside bottom and enjoy the glow.
3. Juice Boxes
This craft can easily be adapted to accommodate a large juice box.
Mini Bird Feeders
* Empty juice boxes
* Craft knife or scissors
* Old pencil, sharpened, or a bamboo skewer
* Yarn or twine
* Birdseed
* Craft paint (optional)
Using the knife or scissors, grown-ups can cut out an opening in the front of the juice box. For a small juice box, make the opening about an inch from the bottom. The hole should be at least 2 inches square. If your kids are painting the boxes, let them paint now.
When dry, stick the pencil or skewer into the top of the juice box, making a hole that goes all the way through the front and back. Remove the pencil and stick it between the bottom of the opening and the bottom of the box, leaving it there. This makes a perch. Run twine through the top holes to make a hanger. Hang from tree branches – you’ll have a decorated tree, too!
By making these kids crafts you aren’t only spending quality time with your kids and making precious memories you are creating recycle crafts and making less trash.
