20+ SIMPLE Earth Day Activities for Kids and Families

Earth Day (on April 22) provides a wonderful opportunity to teach children about recycling, respecting our planet, and enjoying nature. It is also a wonderful excuse to get outside. Today I am sharing a fantastic collection of 20+ {easy and inexpensive} Earth Day crafts and activities that are fun for children of all ages.

Here is a list of some of my favourite Earth Day crafts and activities. Click on the links / titles for more information and full tutorials.

1)  Make a cereal box notebook.

2)  Recycle an old jar into an earth day tealight.

3)  Decorate with a DIY earth day banner.

4)  Transform an old box into a beautiful tree full of butterflies.

5)  Read The Lorax, and enjoy a "tree-themed" snack.

6)  Use an empty egg carton to learn about how caterpillars turn into butterflies.

7)  Use empty jars and cans to create some adorable "grass-haired" friends.

8)  Enjoy some backyard bird-watching.

9)  Raid the recycling bin, and try creating some homemade toy boats.

10)  Craft some paper bag kites and head outside.

11) Make a matching game by recycling milk jug lids.

12) Make a tooth taxi out of an old film canister... or another amsll container.

13) Plant something.

14) Make something out of a cardboard box. You can find 5 ideas here.

15) Make homemade birdfeeders.

16) Make a bird house from a milk carton.

17) Craft a bucket from recycled materials to take on a nature walk.

18) Make a nature collage.

19) Build an outdoor obstacle course.

20) Make (and play with) eco-friendly sidewalk paint.

21) Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt.

How are you planning on celebrating Earth Day with your little ones?  I hope you take some time to craft, play, and get outside with kids to enjoy everything that nature has to offer. Happy Earth Day!!!

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

How to Make Love Bugs

I first made LOVE BUGS with my boys when they were little, and it's still my favourite Valentine's Day crafts. It's creative, fun, and perfect for kids of all ages. (Adults like making them too!)

This graphic shows the step by step instructions for making love bugs... but keep reading for all the information you need to make these cute critters for someone you love.

Here are the instructions:

1) Cut a piece of cardboard (3-4 inches high) from an old cereal box.

2) Cut a long piece of yarn and lay it across the top of the cardboard.

3) Wrap yarn (approximately 60-80 times... depending on the thickness of the yarn) around the cardboard. 

4) When you have finished wrapping, tie the long piece of yarn tightly around the top of the wrapped yarn and cut the bottom. 

5) Use a pencil to poke two holes in a piece of an egg carton, and thread a pipe cleaner through the holes.

6) Spread out the yarn, place it on top on the egg carton, and twist the pipe cleaner to secure the yarn in place.

7) Twist the pipe cleaner to form two hearts.

8) Use hot glue to attach googly eyes.

Cute, right????

You could also make up little "make your own LOVE BUG" kits. Just put all the supplies in a bag, and attach the instructions below. Wouldn't this make an adorable Valentine?

To print the instructions: click on the photo below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

I made a bunch of them in an evening for my son to share with his class. He's soooo excited to take them to school to share with his friends.

Try playing with different colours and thicknesses of yarn. You can also add beads, pom poms, or cardboard hearts to the antennae. Use your imagination, and have fun making these adorable LOVE BUGS!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - You can also watch an old video of my boys making love bugs here:

Don't miss out on any of the fun... follow me on social media here.

     

WARM WISHES Yarn Hat Ornaments... with free printable gift tags

My boys are getting older... and a little "mature" for the types crafts we did together when they were little. So, this year, I wanted to make a craft with my boys that was great for older kids. I've seen a bunch of versions of these yarn hats on Pinterest, and I have been wanting to make them for many years. They are the perfect Christmas craft for tweens and teens... and adults will love making them too. Today, I am sharing the step-by-step instructions for yarn hat ornaments, and some FREE printable gift tags that make them the perfect DIY gift for holiday giving.

To make these adorable yarn hat ornaments, you'll need: a ruler, yarn in your desired hat color, stuffing or cotton balls, old paper towel rolls and scissors.

To make the yarn hat ornaments:

1) Cut a paper towel roll into 1/2" strips.
2) Cut 10" strips of yarn... about 40-50... depending on the weight of the yarn.
3) Fold yarn in half, make a loop and insert it into the strip of cardboard tube.
4) Take the two ends of the yarn, and pull them through the loop. Pull tight.
5) Continue this process until the entire cardboard ring is covered.
6) Push the yarn through the ring to create a "hat brim".
7) Use a long piece of yarn (approx. 12") to tie the top of the hat.

8) Stuff some filling or cotton balls into the hat.

9) Trim the pom pom on the top of the hat.

10) Use the string you used to tie the top of the hat to create an "ornament hanger".

You can use one colour of yarn, or you can alternate colours. I love doing two pieces of one colour and then two pieces of another colour. You can also play with the width of the piece of paper towel roll, the weight of the yarn and the lengths of the pieces of yarn.

Aren't these yarn hat ornaments totally adorable? I can't wait to hang them on my tree.

And... these yarn hat ornaments make fun DIY Christmas gifts. Just add these adorable "warm wishes" tags. Click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Isn't this a sweet little homemade holiday gift?

Do you like making crafts with your older children? What have you made? Now that my boys are getting older, I can use all the ideas I can get. 😀

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (You can find MORE ideas for easy and inexpensive Christmas family fun here.)

DIY Drums Kids Can Make From Recycled Cans

Isn't making a musical instrument something that should be part of every person's childhood? It's a wonderful way for kids to be creative, learn about music, and explore the science of sound. Today, I am sharing the instructions for a darling set of drums that my 9 year old made as part of class project. I think he did an excellent job crafting three drums made from tin cans.

To make the tin can drums, my son started by collecting the supplies he needed: three empty tin cans (cleaned with the tops removed), colourful balloons, painting supplies, and elastic bands.

Then, he carefully painted each drum with acrylic paint. (He did a couple of coats to make sure the colours were vibrant.)

Once the tin cans were dry, he cut the tops off the balloons and stretched them over the tops of the tin cans. The elasticity of the balloons holds them in place, but to make the surface tighter, he secured the balloons with elastic bands.

Check out the sound of the drums when he hits them with dowels. Cool, right???

I think this is a perfect project for a rainy day, don't you? I hope you make one (or more) of these fun tin can drums with your little ones. If you do, let me know how they turn out!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Fun Way to Recycle Plastic Eggs

This is a super fun way to recycle the plastic eggs that are leftover after Easter. With plastic eggs, an empty egg carton, and a sharpie, you can easily create a fun matching game for Preschoolers.

Split the eggs apart, and use a sharpie to write a number on the top half of the egg. Then, use the sharpie to draw a corresponding number of dots on the bottom half of the eggs. 

I have 3 year olds in the weekly Preschool class that I teach, so I used matching tops and bottoms... but if you want to want to make it more difficult for older children, you can mix them up.

Cute, right? You could also use the eggs to help with alphabet recognition by writing an uppercase letter on the top of an egg and a corresponding lower case letter on the bottom of an egg.

This is a fantastic (and fun) way to teach number recognition and counting.

Do you have a little one that would enjoy this game that uses recycled plastic eggs? I love this simple way to teach Preschoolers about numbers!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)