Frugal Green Living: Easy Kids Crafts Made with Recycled Cereal Boxes

Chances are you have several cereal boxes in your cupboard right now, some soon to be on their way to disposal. According to Answers.com, more than 2.7 billion packages of cereal are sold in grocery stores each year, making it the third most popular supermarket product.

Ideally, your local area has a setup for recycling cardboard products, but if not (or if you are looking for another way to recycle,) consider using your empty cereal boxes for one of these kid-friendly easy-to-make crafts. Your children will enjoy the fun of spending time with you making the crafts, you'll treasure their creations, and you'll both be helping the environment.

Race Car Track and Storage

Materials Needed:

Empty Cereal Box

Construction Paper

or Plain Paper and Markers (use the backs of scrap paper for more recycling!)

Scissors

Glue/Adhesive

Instructions:

Help child draw and cut out a road pattern. Draw and cut out tree shapes, bushes, signs, and other items to place along the road.

Glue plain white or light colored paper/construction paper to the front of the cereal box. Glue road pattern and then road-side items to create a race track design.

Once dry, have child drive small racing vehicles on their new track or create a few race car shapes from paper for the child to use.

Tip: When your child is finished racing, use the inside of the cereal box to "garage" their vehicles.

Treasure Box

Materials Needed:

Empty Cereal Box

Scrap Paper (Use scraps of or previous used tissue paper and wrapping paper, newspapers, or old magazines)

Stickers or other embellishments (optional)

Glue Stick

Scissors

Instructions:

Help child select paper and cut into random size square pieces (1 inch to 5 inch squared) and/or cut out various pictures from magazines & newspaper. You will need enough paper cutouts to cover entire cereal box, allowing for overlap.

Help child cut out the letters to spell their name (either from a contrasting paper or by finding large type letters in magazines or newspapers.)

Using glue stick, apply paper in an over-lapping pattern until sides and bottom/top of box are covered (allowing room for box flap seal to remain uncovered.

Using glue stick, apply letters to form name on one side of the box. Continue decorating with stickers or other embellishments as desired.

Have child fill with keepsakes, books, magazines, or use to store smaller toy sets.

Tip: These boxes are also great to use as Valentines Day mailboxes or to save Birthday and other holiday cards in.

Little Rocker Guitar Box

Materials Needed:

Empty Cereal Box

4 Rubber Bands

1 Pencil (unsharpened)

Paper Towel Tube

Scissors

Tape

Instructions:

Help child cut a large circle in the center of one side of the cereal box.

Seal the open end of the cereal box with tape. Trace outline of the end of the paper towel tube onto the end of the cereal box. Cut small hole. Insert tube and tape (or glue) into place. This serves as the neck of the guitar.

Stretch four rubber bands across the box length-wise. Be sure bands are stretched over the circle cut-out. Place pencil under the rubber bands (width-wise.)

Encourage child to play their new instrument and put on a rockn' show!

Optional: Decorate the "guitar" with paper scraps, stickers, or other embellishments.

Looking for more fun kids crafts made with cereal boxes? Check out: Kids Crafts You Can Make With Cereal