Before you load the recycling bin, check out these recycled craft project ideas.  In addition, we’ve included some lesson planning resources and fun facts for you as well.

Have a blog of your own with kid-friendly recycled crafts?  Submit an idea here for our permanent recycled craft gallery.

 

 10 Recycled Craft Projects

Upcycled Butterflies from AlphaMom-

Monster Mash from Craftberry Bush

Upcycled ABC Crayons from Let’s Explore

From Crissy’s Crafts:  Waterbottle Flowers

Cardboard Castle from Chantal Vincent Art

Don’t know what to do with old cds? Teach color theory with them!

Stop by Mama’s Little Muse for directons.

Paper Plate and Airplane‘s gorgeous upcycled vases

 Cereal Box Guitars from The Frakers’ Acres

Here’s a sampling of recycling facts from Recycling Revolution that will shock your kids {and you!

Did you know that:

• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours — or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline

• Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper.

• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour.

• Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees,  500,000 trees must be cut down each week to produce those papers

• An estimated 80,000,000 Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day, using enough aluminum foil to cover over 50 acres of space — that’s almost 40 football fields. All that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it.

Here are a few recycling websites to help with life & lesson planning:

• Earth 911
• Use Less Stuff
• Freecycle
• Recycle City
• EcoWorld
• ECOMINDERS

 

Need more ideas?

Stop by our Earth Day & Recycled Crafts sections for more inspiration.

 

Thanks for reading,

Nicolette & Karen