I am so excited to share with y’all a recycling art project that I did with a Daisy Girl Scout troop. They were working to get their Clover Petal badge which is for using resources wisely. I wanted to incorporate some STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) while using recyclables. I thought it would be a good sculptural project, where they could make patterns with the beads by threading them onto the branches. I find that adding nature aspect to projects adds interest.
The two recyclables we used were the containers that I found at http://austincreativereuse.org and egg cartons that I collected.
What you will need:
- recycled containers for your base
- egg cartons
- scissors
- PlaySand from local lawn and Garden store (like Home Depot)
- Fish Tank Rocks
- Willow branches from floral shop (My grocery store had them for $5 a bunch. This was expensive for me, so I also went on a stick hunt and mixed those in to choose from.)
- rubber band optional
- Kid Made Modern felt Flower Festival for added decor
- awl tool to poke hole in felt
- pony beads
- tape to close off ends
What to do:
- Have the kids choose their container, to be used as base.
- Have them choose two branches
- You can wrap a rubber band around the two branches, if you like, to keep them together.
- Children can fill the base with sand to plant branches.
- With the branches centered, cover the top of the sand with a layer of fish tank rocks to add color.
- The branches are long, so place them on the floor in work area to make them accessible for the kids to work with. Watch your eyes. You don’t want to get poked.
- Oh, I poked holes in the center of the felt flowers with an awl the night before.
- Have the kids cut flower shapes out of the egg cartons if they are older, or do it as prep work to have ready to go. You will need to poke a hole through the center of your egg carton flower as well, to thread.
- Have the kids add flowers and felt pieces as desired.
- Add beads – This is a great for hand eye coordination. Also a great way to work with balance.
- Close off ends of branches with a piece of tape so you don’t have any spills.
