Earth Day Recycling Crafts for Kids

On April 20, people all across the United States celebrate Earth Day. Americans use this day to celebrate the earth's natural resources and work together to protect them. It's also an opportune time for us to teach our children about taking care of our planet, conserving, not littering, and recycling products. I prefer to use crafts and hands-on projects to help my kids remember these important lessons. We practice recycling year round in our home, so my girls and I try to repurpose and reuse household items or materials found in nature for most of our craft projects. Below are directions for how we made these two Earth Day recycling crafts for kids: the We All Have a Hand in Being Green Tree and the Litter Bug.

Make a We All Have a Hand in Being Green Tree to Celebrate Earth Day
This kids' craft is an excellent way to teach green principles and remind them that we all have a hand in caring for and protecting nature on Earth Day and every day.

What you need:
Recycled cardboard from a cereal box
Construction paper (orange or brown)
Recycled newspaper
Moss, hay or leaves
Markers
Scissors
Glue

How to make a We All Have a Hand in Being Green Tree with children:
Help the child trace his or her hand on a piece of construction paper. (Thankfully, my active 5-year-old sat still long enough to pose for ours!) Outline the traced hand with marker and cut it out. If desired, draw a few vertical lines to make it appear more like a tree trunk.

Cut the front (or back) piece of the recycled cereal box and flip it over so the blank side faces up. Glue the hand outline to the cardboard. This will serve as the tree trunk and limbs.

Give the child a few sheets of recycled newspaper. Show him how to tear small pieces and glue them at random around the fingers to create leaves.

Attach a small amount of moss or hay to the bottom of the picture to make grass.

Allow the child to draw animals, clouds or other picture of nature to complete the project.

Celebrate Earth Day with Kids by Making a Litter Bug from Scraps
Make this fun recycling craft with your kids to encourage creativity and help stress the importance of recycling and not littering.

What you need:
Recycled cardboard egg carton
Pipe cleaners
Small pieces of recycled materials (such as plastic lids, bottle caps, string, plastic jug rings, buttons)
Glue
Markers

How to make a litter bug with children:
Cut one cup from the egg carton and flip it upside down.

Create legs for the litter bug by cutting 1" pieces of pipe cleaner and poking them into the egg carton cup. Bend them until they are the desired shape and support the bug.

Glue bottle caps, buttons and other pieces of recycled litter to create eyes, mouth, hat, and any other fun details the child chooses.

Use a marker to draw any finishing touches to the litter bug.

Read more by this contributor:
Dr. Seuss Activities for Kids
Good Friday Activities, Crafts and Games for Kids
Free Fun and Educational Easter Printables for Kids