Using "Junk" for Crafts

It is a known fact that children of all ages enjoy arts and crafts. A child can make anything out of some colored paper, glue, markers and other simple craft materials. I am always amazed at what children can do with what we as adults call "trash" or "junk". Keep your "junk" and add it to your child's craft box. Almost anything old can be used to create something new.

Look around your house-what do you see? Oh, you were going to throw that away, right? Keep it! Add it to the craft box and see what you and your child can make out of it. Many ordinary items can be used again. Purchase a big box from your local store and designate it as the craft box. Whenever it is art time, bring the box out and let your child's imagination run wild!

When you run out detergent at the bottom of the laundry detergent box, keep the plastic scoop. You can add some soil and grass seed and make a "wheelbarrow" full of grass. Recycled milk caps could be used as wheels. Laundry detergent scoops also make wonderful containers for mixing paint.

Used toilet paper tubes can be used to make a variety of fun crafts. To make napkin rings cut the tube into equal sized rings and use beads, sequins, corn or other materials to create beautiful napkin holders. Toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes also can be used to make trees. Glue real leaves or paper leaves to the tube for a colorful tree.

When you have used all of the eggs from the egg carton, rinse out any residue and use it to hold paint. The old egg carton makes a wonderful pallet for all colors of paint. Close the lid tightly and store the paint for the next use. You can also make a mancala game from old egg cartons. Gather some marbles or small rocks for a mancala game.

Milk jug lids have a variety of uses after the milk is gone. Because milk lids come in different colors, they can be used to sort. Have your child sort them by the colors. Use milk lids as BINGO pieces or counters. Milk lids also come in handy for wheels on different crafts.

After a party or celebration, keep the tissue paper and wrapping paper. Make a windsock from a rolled piece of construction paper and attach strips of tissue paper to the bottom. Both wrapping paper and tissue paper can be used to make collages.

Everybody has empty containers that they throw away-right? Round containers such as vegetable and fruit cans or coffee cans can be used to store pens and pencils. Larger coffee containers are good for storing crayons and markers. For a group of children, use the larger containers and store markers, scissors, glue, crayons, pencils and other items. Wrap the container in a piece of colored paper and label the container with what is inside. Empty boxes can be a child's best friend. Use the boxes to make shadow boxes and other types of display boxes. Cut a hole from the middle of a cereal box and use rubber bands to create a guitar. Old jars and soda bottles are perfect for making terrariums and other gardens. You can use a jar to catch bugs in! Don't forget to poke holes in the top to allow air to come in.

Musical instruments are easy to make from recycled items. Drums can be made from containes, boxes or jars. Toilet paper tubes make good maracas. Cut a square from construction paper and use a rubber band to secure it to one end of the tube. Add beans, rice, marbles, dirt, rocks and other items that make noise when shook. Once the items are put into the tube, secure another piece of paper to the end. Shake away! Add different materials to create different sounds.

When the kids' crayons get down to nubs, put them in a muffin tin and bake them! That's right-cook the old crayons. They will melt and you will have new crayons. Kids will like the new shapes and sizes of the crayons. You can make the crayons one color or try making a multi-colored one.

You can reuse foil to create foil sculptures. Roll the foil into balls, fold it and mold it to make unique masterpeices. Some foil, creativity and you've got a project to take care of!

With a little bit of imagination and a few craft supplies, there is no telling what you can mold and make! Before you throw something away, think about what you could make fom it.