By BabyCenter
Recycled Earth Crayons
Ages: 2- 8 years
What you need: Crayons
Instructions:Peel paper off crayons and cut crayons into small pieces. Mix green and blue crayon pieces in paper cups, putting the equivalent of one green and two blue crayons in each cup. Put cups on baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or until the crayons have melted but the wax is not completely mixed. Let the wax cool for an hour. Peel away the paper cups. Enjoy your recycled crayons that look like the planet Earth.
Egg carton caterpillar
Ages: 5- 8 years
What you need:cardboard egg carton , scissors , green craft paint , 6 small yellow pom-poms , pipe cleaner , 2 small green pom-poms , 2 glue-on eyes
Instructions:With an adult's help, remove the lid of the egg carton and cut the bottom in half. Trim away excess. Paint the egg carton green and let it dry completely. Glue small yellow pom-poms to the top of each of the six egg cups. Cut two 2-inch strips from the pipe cleaner. Glue the pipe cleaner pieces to the top of the first egg cup to create the antennae. Glue the 2 small pom-poms on the front of the egg cup for the eyes. Finally, glue the eyeballs to the green pom-poms.
Potato stamp
Ages: 6- 8 years
What you need:Potato , pencil , spoon , knife (with adult supervision) , paint , paintbrush , paper , paper towel or cloth
Instructions:With an adult's help, cut a potato in half lengthwise. Using a dull pencil, carve a simple design into each side of the potato. Then take the spoon and dig out your design so the part you want to stamp is raised above the rest of the surface. Dry the potato with a cloth or paper towel. Paint the raised design and stamp it on the piece of paper.
Paper bag teddy bear
Ages: 6- 8 years
What you need:Large paper bag , scissors , pillow stuffing or tissue , stapler , paper or markers
Instructions:Make your own teddy bear without pulling out the sewing machine. Trace a teddy bear shape on a grocery-size paper bag. Try cutting through both sides of the bag at once so each side matches. To make your bear's face either draw on a nose, eyes, and mouth with markers, or cut them out from colored paper and glue them on. To stuff your bear, start stapling around the edges. As you staple one part of the bear, fill the area with pillow stuffing or wadded up tissue. Use a pencil to push the stuffing into hard to reach areas, like in the bear's arms or ears. Keep stapling and stuffing until you?ve made it all around your bear.
Egg carton bee
Ages: 6-8 years
What you need:Egg carton cup , yellow paint , black marker , pipe cleaner
Instructions:With an adult's help, cut out one egg cup from an egg carton. Paint the outside yellow and let it dry. Once it's completely dry, draw on stripes with a black marker. Poke two holes on top for the antennae and a hole on each side for the wings. Cut out two small pieces of pipe cleaner and stick them in the holes on top. Take two longer pieces of pipe cleaner and twist them into wing shapes. Stick them in the side holes. Now just make sure to keep him away from your honey!
Milk carton faux birdhouses
Ages: 4- 8 years
What you need:Empty pint-size milk carton , scissors , patterned paper , glue , chopstick , oversized button
Instructions:Cut off the top portion of the milk carton and set aside. Wash both sides thoroughly and let dry. Cover the carton with patterned paper and affix with glue. To make the roof, take a sheet of paper slightly larger than the top section and glue it to the top. Take another sheet and glue to the bottom of the carton. If you like, glue a triangle to front of roof. With Mom's help, make the perch by creating a small hole in the front with the sharp end of a pair of scissors. Break a wooden chopstick in half and push through the hole. A button creates a pretend entryway for the birds. Fill with your favorite secret finds.
