Let's Recycle and Get Crafty

 For my virtual "Let's Recycle and Get Crafty" program, I wanted to show how you can use everyday items around the house to make upcycled crafts and that this can be something kids can easily do with a caregiver's help during the pandemic. 

After searching for some ideas online, I decided on showing how to make a bird feeder, spring wreath, and smiley face jars using recyclable items. 

The easiest craft would have to be the smiley face jars. For this craft, the upcycled item was a glass jar or plastic container and the kids simply had to pick their favorite paint color at home and paint the whole jar/container with paint and let it dry. Afterwards, add some googly eyes and a smiley face to complete a cute jar that can be used for flowers or as a pencil holder. This idea was courtesy of Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials by Kimberly McLeod. 

The next craft idea shown was making a spring flower wreath using cardboard egg cartons, a paper plate as a base, and paint. After the wreath base was painted and the egg carton was cut out to make flower-looking pieces, let everything sit and dry and then start gluing and adding cute elements like pom poms and sequins. 

The final recycled craft idea was making a bird feeder using a can, some colorful duct tape, and ribbon. Once the can (I used a small coffee can) was cut at both ends using a can opener, duct tape can be added for a spring look and a lid can be cut in half. Once attached to both ends of the can and adding a string, this is a simple and upcycled craft that just needs some bird seed. 

I was glad I was able to do this virtual program to show how it's easy to make something using recyclable materials. This is a great way to show kids the importance about recycling and still make it fun!

Preschool Picasso: Feathers

This was a fun Preschool Picasso and it was the first time we used feathers. The kids were more than eager to paint and had fun using the feathers and playing with them. They were a bit antsy during the book, but still were able to listen to most of it. We read Bamboo and Friends: The Feathers by Felicia Law. 

For our first craft, we painted a parrot on cardstock just like the parrots in the book. I put out four different colors of paint and then they glued different colored feathers onto the tail.

For our second craft, we made headdresses just like the animals wore in the story. We decorated them with crayons, markers, and stickers. I purposely avoided paint with this craft so no one would get paint in their hair.

Other Books:

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert

The Perfect Purple Feather by Hanoch Piven

Hooray for Birds! by Lucy Cousins

Chicken Chuck by Bill Martin Jr.

Cuckoo by Lois Ehlert

A Bird Is a Bird by Lizzy Rockwell

Honk, Honk! Hold Tight! by Jessica Souhami

Plume by Isabelle Simler

Silly Dilly Duckling by Claire Freedman

Finn's Feather by Rachel Noble

Hamsters to the Rescue by Ellen Stoll Walsh

The Crow's Tale by Naomi Howarth

A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes

Feathers for Peacock by Jacqueline Jules

Borka by John Burningham