Earth Day Aluminum Crafts

There are other ways to recycle aluminum besides sending it off to the recycling center.

Crafts made from aluminum are a great way to dispose of such items, while creating gifts or props for the house, lessons, and plays.

Crafts Made out of Aluminum - Pencil Holder

Pencil holders make great gifts for friends, teachers, and coworkers

Materials needed

• Aluminum cans
• Popsicle sticks, or crayons, or leftover fabric
• Ribbon
• Hot glue
• Hammer
• Items of choice to fill the can

Directions

1. with the hammer, carefully hammer the inside ridge of the can to make sure it is flat, to avoid injury while handling the can
2. rinse and dry the can thoroughly
3. with hot glue, secure either Popsicle sticks, crayons, or leftover fabric over the outer surface of the can covering it completely
4. once completed, fasten a ribbon around and hot glue the bow so it will not come undone
5. fill the can with colored pencils, pens, markers, paint brushes, any other writing or art related utensils, or candy

Crafts Made out of Aluminum - Wind Chimes

No porch is complete without a wind chime. Whether the area is prone to strong or light winds, there is something endearing about the sound coming from wind chimes.

Materials needed

• six aluminum cans
• nylon string or rope
• six large wooden beads
• nail
• hammer
• wire hanger
• pliers

Directions

1. as with the previous craft, with the hammer, carefully hammer the inside ridge of the cans to make sure they are flat, to avoid injury while handling the cans
2. rinse and dry the cans thoroughly
3. turn the cans upside down
4. starting with one can, place the nail in the center of its base
5. with the hammer, hit the nail on the head until it pokes through the metal
6. repeat steps 4 and 5 for all cans
7. cut one piece of nylon string or rope per can
8. thread the string through the hole until it exits the can and tie one wooden bead at the end
9. pull the string, from the top, enough to place the bead inside the can, but at different heights for each can
10.secure the string with a knot right next to its entry hole
11.with the pliers, cut the base of the wire hanger from its sides
12.use the base to create a circle large enough to accommodate the cans
13.take the sides and push them inward enough to secure them to the circle
14.close the hook at the top in a circle that will be used for hanging
15.evenly tie each can to the circle created with the base of the wire hanger
16.hang the wind chime on the porch

Variation

For something more colorful, after making the hole (see step 5), paint the cans with leftover paint. When the cans are dry, proceed with the rest of the directions.

Larger aluminum cans (like the coffee cans) can be used to plant flowers, after they have been rinsed and decorated to one's desire. They also function well for storage of small arts and crafts items.

Use creativity and imagination to come up with other ways to recycle those aluminum cans and help protect the environment.