Recycling with your Kids…Fun for the Whole Family

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There are a lot of fun ways to teach & inspire your kids to recycle. Here is a short list of fun activities you can do with your kids with everyday items from around the house. This will help show your kids how to make something out of nothing, reduce waste and illustrate how recycling benefits us all. Turn you child into an EcoKid and watch their imagination soar!

CUTLERY WIND CHIMES
Items to Recycle: (Plastic Cutlery and Paper Plates)
What You Need:
To create wind chimes, simply gather:
• some plastic cutlery
• a paper plate
• a sharp pencil
• a pair of scissors
• some string or yarn

What You Do:
• First, cut the string into lengths from 4″ to 6″.
• Then, tie the string to the ends of the cutlery.
• Next poke some holes into the paper plate, thread the string through and tie a knot in each piece.
• Finally, fasten three pieces of string to the top of the plate.
• Optional: decorate the paper plate with crayons, paint, markers or paper.

MINI VASE
Items to Recycle: (Paper (or Plastic) Drinking Cups)
What You Need:
To make a mini-vase, simply gather:
• three plastic or paper cups
• glue
• tissue paper or fabric
• some sand or pebbles

What You Do:
• First, place a cup on a table and fill it halfway with sand or pebbles.
• Next, glue a second cup to the first, top to top.
• Then, glue a third cup to the second, bottom to bottom.
• Finally, to decorate, glue small pieces of torn tissue paper all over the cups.
For the less industrious, consider recycling your large soup cans by removing any labels to expose the shiny metal and texture. I have used these in my bathroom and it looks great especially against dark cabinetry.

BIRDHOUSE
Items to Recycle: (Milk Cartons)
What You Need:
• Milk carton
• Stapler and staples
• Masking tape
• A soft cloth, rag or chamois
• Brown shoe polish
• Scissors or a knife
• Twine

What You Do:
1. Clean and dry the milk carton thoroughly.
2. Staple the top of the carton shut.
3. Tear off small pieces of masking tape and cover the entire carton with the pieces of tape.
4. Using a soft cloth, rub brown shoe polish all over the tape. This will give the carton a rough, bark-like finish.
5. Cut a hole (WITH ADULT ASSISTANCE) about 4″ above the bottom of the carton. The hole should be approximately 1″ to 1 1/2″ in diameter. This hole is for the birds to get in and out of the house.
6. Poke a few drainage holes in the bottom of the carton and two ventilation holes in the top of the carton.
7. Poke a hole through the top of the feeder, string a piece of twine through the hole and hang your feeder on a tree.