50 Fun Earth Day Crafts and Activities Using Upcycled Materials

1. Combine up some wildflower seed bombs

Give again to Mom Earth with these easy-to-make seed bombs. Mix collectively used scraps of development paper, water, and wildflower seeds in a meals processor, then type them into tiny muffins. Allow them to dry, then toss them within the floor. Because the seed bombs obtain solar and rain, the paper will ultimately compost and the seeds will germinate.

Be taught extra: Learn How To Make Seed Bombs

2. Make nature bracelets

Utilizing a roll of large masking tape, type a bracelet on every scholar’s wrist, sticky facet out. Then, take your children on a nature stroll to seek for fascinating leaves, flowers, berries, and such. After they discover issues they like, have them stick them to their bracelet.

3. Assemble a bug lodge

Create a comfy place for all of the creepy-crawlies to hang around. Acquire 2-liter plastic bottles. Minimize the ends off of every bottle and provides one to every scholar. Now, go outdoors and collect sticks, pine cones, bark, and different pure supplies. Stuff the natural supplies tightly into the plastic cylinder. Then loop a chunk of twine or yarn round every cylinder and cling your bug accommodations from a tree department or fence.

4. Make a quilt

Textiles make up an enormous portion of municipal stable waste—over 16 million tons per yr! Educate your children to repurpose outdated materials that might in any other case find yourself within the landfill. Merely reduce materials into uniform squares and stitch them collectively to create a comfy quilt.

5. Plant a tree

Educate your college students about how essential timber are for our ecosystem. Read books, watch a brief movie, do a mini analysis venture. Then, to encourage college students to take motion, have a planting day within the classroom. Select a seedling that does properly in your setting and ship every scholar residence with their very own mini tree to take care of and hopefully plant within the floor as soon as it grows.

6. Piece collectively journal collages

Generations of youngsters have liked creating free-form collages from magazines. Ask households to donate used magazines. Then, encourage college students to chop out pictures that attraction to them. Subsequent, glue the items onto a sheet of card inventory, ensuring they overlap in order that no white exhibits.

7. Plant a dangling backyard

Massive plastic bottles turn out to be stunning hanging planters on this green-living, green-thumb venture. A good way to make a beautiful hanging backyard.

8. Upcycle trash into flower artwork

Scraps of paper are the one provides you want for this recycled-flower-garden exercise and lesson. The measurement and math aspect is an added bonus.

Be taught extra: Fun Earth Day Recycled Garden Activity

9. “Develop” an egg carton tree

Save these egg cartons and create cute recycled timber. Start by portray grass and a tree trunk on the underside 2/3 of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. Paint the underside of an egg carton inexperienced. Then, separate out the cups with a pair of scissors. As soon as the sections are dry, have college students glue the sections above the trunk to type the leaves of the tree.

10. Repurpose bathroom paper rolls into binoculars

Save these paper rolls so your class can customise their very own binoculars. Merely glue two bathroom paper rolls collectively, facet by facet. Adorn utilizing paints, stickers, markers, or crayons. Lastly, connect a string so children can put on them round their neck.

11. Make this Earth Day shaving cream venture

Your younger learners will love this enjoyable artwork venture! To start, reduce out massive circles from card inventory to symbolize planet Earth. Then, in two separate containers, mix shaving cream and inexperienced craft paint in a single and shaving cream and blue craft paint within the different. Show an image of Earth, then give every scholar a circle, a paintbrush, and the blue and inexperienced paints, and watch them create.

12. Feed the birds

This one is an oldie however a goodie! Take your children outdoors and accumulate pine cones. Connect a string to the highest of the pine cone. Then roll the pine cone in peanut butter, then sesame or sunflower seeds. Take your chook feeders outdoors and cling them in a close-by tree. Take pleasure in watching the birds collect.

13. Create colourful suncatcher wind chimes

Tape sheets of clear contact paper onto desks, sticky facet up. Then, have college students press discovered sticks, flowers, feathers, and so forth., onto the paper. As soon as the treasures are safe, place one other sheet of contact paper on prime, sticky facet down. Use a mason jar lid to hint a circle over the sheets. Minimize out the circle, then pop it into the lid. Tie string to the lids and dangle from a stick.

14. Make Earth Day crafts from paper baggage

Brown paper baggage turn out to be eco-canvases for art work created from paint, crayons, and chalk. Bonus factors in the event you can supply dealt with baggage as a result of the handles function built-in art work hangers.

15. Construct a tiny metropolis from recycled supplies

Have your college students create an cute village utilizing little greater than paper rolls, development paper, scissors, paint, glue, tape, and their creativeness!

16. Create pebble artwork

Take college students outdoors to gather small rocks and pebbles. Have them prepare the rocks right into a sample of their selection. Get artistic, and check out for as many various designs as you’ll be able to! Glue the weather onto a chunk of cardboard if you wish to preserve the designs.

17. Use outdated crayons to make Earth Day crayons

This isn’t simply any recycled crayon—it’s a beautiful Earth crayon! You may make these together with your children utilizing a muffin tin. You simply must kind out the proper colours.

Be taught extra: Earth Crayons

18. Use upcycled objects to make mazes

STEM and recycling go collectively splendidly! Have college students glue/tape straws, stones, wooden beads, or blocks all the way down to create a maze within the backside of a shallow cardboard field. Then see if they’ll “run” the maze utilizing a marble.

19. Make a rope snake

Recycling initiatives that use objects you’ll have mendacity round your storage or shed are a few of our favorites. Seize that outdated rope you’ve been saving and create cute rope snakes together with your college students. Merely use tape to create stripes and fasten a wood spoon to 1 finish as the top. Add eyes with a Sharpie and a forked tongue created from coloured paper.

20. Create a plastic bottle chook feeder

Herald spring with this straightforward crowd-pleaser: the big plastic bottle chook feeder. This brief video will educate children learn how to get began establishing their feeders.

21. Arrange classroom provides utilizing outdated cans

Tin cans are straightforward to get your arms on, and they’re nice for organizing provides. Merely paint a couple of cans with colourful acrylic paint, then glue them all the way down to a cardboard or plywood base. Excellent as a provide station for every desk group.

22. Create papier-mâché pots

Minimize off the bottoms of beverage bottles or reuse meals containers and jazz them up with bright-colored paper scraps connected with Mod Podge or glue. Apart from the glue, these papier-mâché planters are composed solely of recycled supplies.

Be taught extra: Papier-Mâché Pots

23. Make a necklace out of discovered gadgets

Earth Day artwork that’s wearable is a bonus. Use discovered objects and coloured string to create distinctive necklaces. Supplies to make use of: nature objects, adorned cardboard squares, pom-poms, beads, or anything your college students can consider!

24. Make chair fidgets out of outdated tees

Give outdated T-shirts new life with this chair fidget craft. This makes use of a easy braiding approach, and your children will love serving to out.

25. Collaborate on an aluminum can recycling bin

Children can work collectively to create an aluminum-can recycling middle. Watch the video to get the straightforward directions and learn the way your college could make recycling enjoyable and rewarding.

26. Construct tin can robots

Recycling initiatives like these are one of the best. The supplies are straightforward to supply and most youngsters are fascinated by robots. Have a provide of fresh, used tin cans and recycled supplies resembling bottle caps, corks, plastic lids, paper, materials, and so forth. Then let your children, and their imaginations, free.

27. Make cupcake paper flowers

This venture is so enjoyable and simple. All you want is cupcake liner papers, mini-cupcake liner papers, buttons, paper straws, and glue. To assemble, glue a button to the middle of the small cupcake liner. Then, glue the smaller liner to the middle of the bigger one. Lastly, connect a straw to the again to function a stem and add paper leaves.

28. Create a large upcycled artwork wall

Problem your college students to create a tremendous recycled wall masterpiece. Tape a big sq. of cardboard to a wall, then let college students add recycled supplies to it, paint it, and create with it every time they’ve free time all through the day. Supplies to think about: egg cartons, Popsicle sticks, paper rolls, and straw.

29. Make your individual video games

Use plastic bottle caps to create recreation items for a tic-tac-toe recreation. Or paint caps purple and black for use as checkers. Set it up as a makerspace problem. Lay out a provide of upcycled gadgets (paper, plastic, foil, cardboard, and so forth.) and classroom provides and problem groups of scholars to create video games with them.

30. Make a treasure magnet

Treasure magnets make a stupendous present! Fill a recycled metallic bottle cap with glue. Then stick a wide range of craft gem stones and beads into the glue with a toothpick. Lastly, add a magnet to the again.

31. Craft stick flower pots

This venture just isn’t solely cute, it’s a terrific train to construct superb motor expertise. All you want is a small recycled plastic container, glue, and wooden craft sticks. Merely have college students glue the sticks vertically across the perimeter, tie a bow across the center with jute string, and voilà! To personalize your pots, embellish the sticks with paint or markers earlier than you glue them on.

32. Make a terrarium

Recycled plastic bottles can get a second life as museum-worthy terrariums in addition to a house for an environmental science venture. Minimize the highest 1/3 and backside 1/3 of a 2-liter bottle off. Within the backside half, insert small vegetation or flowers into a mixture of soil, activated charcoal, and moss. Then pop the highest on to create a damp, protected rising setting.

33. Paint with corks

That is the right type of Earth Day venture since you utilize recycled materials to create a pointillism-type portray. Put out an all-call to households for used corks or purchase an inexpensive set of corks on-line. Set out paper, bowls of paint, and corks for dipping, then let college students create to their hearts’ content material.

34. Earth Day paper plate craft

Assist your college students present their love for planet Earth with this enjoyable and simple craft. Merely embellish a paper plate with blue and inexperienced to symbolize the Earth. Then, have college students hint their arms and wrists onto plain paper. Minimize them out and fasten the wrist facet to the again of the plate. Fold the arms to the entrance to create a “hug-like” impact, giving like to our planet.

35. Type flowers from water bottles

Create these gorgeous flowers from plastic bottles and water-based paint markers. String them collectively for a colourful garland in your classroom.

36. Construct cardboard castles

Collect up a provide of recycled cardboard merchandise. Assume cereal bins, tissue bins, paper rolls, milk cartons, and extra. Add in a roll of masking tape and glue, then set your tiny groups of engineers to work. You’ll be amazed by what they create!

37. Make newspaper owls

Outdated newspapers discover their spirit animal once they turn out to be recycled newspaper owls. Merely provide a template of the define of an owl’s physique and one other for the wings. Then have college students hint and reduce the items from recycled newspaper and glue the items collectively. Lastly, embellish with crayons and watercolors and add massive googly eyes and a beak created from orange development paper.

38. Assemble a plastic bottle recycling bin

Water bottles come collectively, as do your children, to make this water bottle recycling middle. This venture combines teamwork with respect for the environment, a double win.

39. Combine up a batch of Earth Day slime

Slime is an thrilling exercise regardless of the vacation. Test our video for one of the best glitter slime recipe round!

40. Make balloon bongos

These enjoyable musical devices are a lot enjoyable and simple to make! Merely take recycled tin cans of varied sizes and stretch a balloon throughout the highest. Safe the balloon onto the can with a rubber band or piece of jute string. Then get drumming!

41. Create a spinning prime

Do you’ve got a bunch of CDs mendacity round that by no means get performed anymore? How a few field or drawer of markers that hardly write? Should you do, that is the right venture for you! Merely have children embellish a CD with a painted design, then insert and glue a useless marker within the center. And voilà! A customized spinning prime!

42. Trend ladybugs from bottle caps

Ladybugs are so cute—most youngsters can’t resist them! To make your individual variations, paint plastic bottle caps purple (or no matter coloration college students like finest). Then, add black polka dots and a black semicircle on one edge for the face. Glue googly eyes on and there you’ve got it: your individual little pocket ladybugs.

43. Create a espresso filter Earth

One of many traditional Earth Day artwork initiatives! Easy to make and delightful to show, these espresso filter Earths are a cinch. Merely coloration paper espresso filters with blue and inexperienced markers, then squirt with a water bottle.

44. Create Earth Day agamographs

An agamograph is a chunk of artwork created from strips of paper strung collectively that seems to vary or transfer when seen from totally different angles. Select an Earth Day theme, such because the recycling image, timber, or clear water, and check out your individual!

Be taught extra: Earth Day Agamographs

45. Make DIY recycled plantable seed paper

Tear newspaper into small items and soak in a bowl of water in a single day. The following day, mix the paper and water right into a pulp with a blender. Pressure the pulp, then add seeds and mix completely. Unfold the pulp in a skinny layer on prime of paper towels and permit to dry utterly. As soon as it’s dry, reduce into sq. or shapes.

47. Put collectively an Earth Day mosaic puzzle

First, reduce out a circle of skinny cardboard to function the Earth. Subsequent, have college students glue small scraps of blue and inexperienced to symbolize the continents and the oceans. When the glue dries, prime with clear contact paper. Flip the “Earth” over and have college students draw the items of the puzzle. It could be best to discover a puzzle template to hint. Lastly, reduce out the items and also you’ve acquired a snazzy Earth Day puzzle.

48. Assemble a papier-mâché globe

Most children love the sloppy strategy of papier-mâché. To start, reduce newspapers into strips. Dip the strips into a mix of 1 half flour and two components water. Drape over a type. To create an Earth form, use a balloon. As soon as the “Earth” dries, paint it inexperienced and blue.

49. Make Earth Day salt dough crafts

Salt dough crafts are a lot enjoyable to have a good time Earth Day! Make these colourful Earth Day medallions, then connect string. Your children will put on their Earth Day satisfaction for all to see. To make the salt dough, mix one half salt, one half water, and two components flour, and knead for 7 to 10 minutes.