Cold and rainy outside? No problem!
By repurposing household items into toys and craft materials, you can keep your kids busy while spending quality time with them. No need to buy new materials, look around your house for items you can repurpose. You can use these projects as an opportunity to discuss the importance of reducing waste and recycling.
Here’s a list of some of the best DIY upcycling projects you can try at home.
1- Cardboard Box Creations
Materials Needed: Old cardboard boxes, scissors, markers, paint, glue, tape
Project Ideas:
- Cardboard Playhouses: Transform large cardboard boxes into imaginative playhouses. Cut out windows and doors, and let your kids decorate the house with paint and markers.
- Costume Accessories: Use smaller boxes to create accessories like crowns, shields, and armour. Let your children design and paint their unique pieces.
- Puzzle Pieces: Cut a cardboard sheet into various shapes and have your kids decorate each piece before putting the puzzle together.
2- Plastic Bottle Fun
Materials Needed: Empty plastic bottles, scissors, paint, googly eyes, yarn, glue
Project Ideas:
- Bottle Planters: Cut the top off a plastic bottle, paint it, and fill it with soil and seeds to create a cute planter.
- Bottle Bowling: Fill empty bottles with a bit of sand or water and set them up as bowling pins. Use a small ball to knock them down.
- Rocket Ships: Turn plastic bottles into rockets by adding fins made from cardboard and decorating them with paint and stickers.
3- Tin Can Transformations
Materials Needed: Empty tin cans, paint, fabric scraps, glue, string
Project Ideas:
- Tin Can Drums: Use the closed end of a can to create a drum. Decorate the can and use chopsticks as drumsticks.
- Wind Chimes: Paint several cans, punch holes in the bottom, and string them together to create a wind chime.
- Pencil Holders: Decorate empty cans with paint and fabric scraps to make personalised pencil holders.
4- Toilet Rolls Possibilities
Materials Needed: Toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, paint, markers, construction paper, glue
Project Ideas:
- Rocket Ships: Decorate paper tubes to look like rockets, adding construction paper fins and a cone-shaped top.
- Binoculars: Glue two toilet paper rolls together, decorate them, and add a string to create pretend binoculars.
- Marionette Puppets: Create simple puppets by decorating paper tubes and attaching strings to control their movements.
5- Mason Jar Magic
Materials Needed: Empty mason jars, paint, glitter, glue, small toys, water.
Project Ideas:
- Snow Globes: Fill a jar with water, glitter, and a small waterproof toy or figure. Seal the lid tightly.
- Piggy Banks: Cut a slot in the lid of a mason jar, decorate the jar, and use it as a piggy bank.
- Lanterns: Paint the outside of a jar with translucent paint, add a tea light candle inside, and use it as a lantern.
Gather your materials, let your imagination run wild, and start creating eco-friendly masterpieces with your kids today!