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Fun In The Making
Looking for lots of crafts made from recycled materials? You’ve come to the right place. I go beyond soup can pencil holders here. It is all about greening up your crafting and moving toward a more sustainable way of living. This site is full of eco-friendly crafts for children and adults. Making use (re-use really) of otherwise unwanted materials is good for the pocketbook and good for the environment.
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- party: Circus
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- reuse straws: drinking straws
- reuse stuffing, from pillows etc.
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- seasonal: fall
- seasonal: spring
- seasonal: summer
- seasonal: winter
- sewing
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- use for dryer lint
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Build a Bot: Robot Building Party Favor Game
Posted May 24, 09 -Filed Under Uncategorized, children's activities (recycled materials), crafts (recycled materials), gifts from recycled materials, party favors, party: robot, reuse "trash", reuse cans, use for wire scraps | 2 Comments
Gossiping robots -These were made by two guests at party.
I designed this game because I wanted the kids to have something fun to do at my daughter’s 9th birthday party. In addition, I wanted to give out party favors but wanted to avoid the usual candy and plastic stuff.
Even the girls loved this robot building game. It generated lots of laughs and the kids liked that they could take their creation home.
Game rules
Using one dice, roll to see what number you get. Start with the birthday boy or girl and then continue around the table.
If you roll a one, pick out a body and pass the dice to the next player.
If it’s a two, pick out eyes and pass the dice to the next player.
If it’s a three, pick out a nose and pass the dice to the next player.
If it’s a four, pick out a head and pass the dice to the next player.
If it’s a five, pick out a mouth and pass the dice to the next player.
If it’s a six, pick out arms and pass the dice to the next player.
Bonus: If you roll the same number as the previous player, pick out an extra part. You might want to find something to be the ears, hair, eye brows…
Note: If you roll a two and you already have a set of eyes just pass on the die. There is no limit to the number of extras you can choose; as long as you are lucky enough to roll the same number as the previous player’s roll.
Game set up:
You will need to set up 7 trays; one for each number plus one more for extras. Find “trash” for the parts. Get enough for each player plus a few (for variety sake).
Body (one): olive oil cans, large cans…
Eyes (two): bottle caps, nuts, bolts, misc…
Nose (three): misc…
Head (four): cat food or tuna cans…
Mouth (five): misc.
Arms (six): thrift store silverware, electrical wire…
Extras: electronic wires,…
Robot Part Trays
Children have artistic freedom. If they want the eyes to be on the side of the head, they should put them there. These robots develop a personality of their own. Make up a name for each. The first person to finish gets a small prize. The game continues until all the guests finish their robot. Some of the bots look like robot people and some resemble animals, some are clown-like and others are aliens.
After the children have designed their robot, you will need to glue on the parts while the kids move on to another activity. I used a glue gun which worked with most of the parts (avoid really heavy items). I also used magnets to hold some of the pieces. (The head attaches well to the olive can with a magnet.)
If you want to restrict your pieces to things that a magnet will stick to, you can make a Mr. Potato Head -like toy (We named it Mr. Bolt or Mrs. Washer.)The fun being that you can rearrange the pieces to make different faces. Just glue a magnet to the back of each piece.
More robot fun coming soon.
Handmade Butterfly Fairy Wings Made From Recycled Materials: On Every Girl’s Dress-up Wish List
Posted May 19, 09 -Filed Under crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), reuse hangers, coat, reuse panty hose/ tights | 3 Comments
They will flutter into another world of their imagination. What will they discover in this world?
Butterfly wings- food for the imagination
How to tips:
I used salvaged wire coat hangers (5) and bent them to form the frame for the wings. When I got a shape I liked, I made matching wings for the other side. I connected the wire pieces with some duct tape. (I sketched over the photo so you could see where I placed the wires. Next, I stretched an old pair of nylon tights (cream colored) across the frame. This is one good use for tights that have a hole in them or otherwise need to be thrown out. I first pinned the nylon in place, stretching it as I went around. I cut off the extra material and hand sewed in place, rolling the edge around the wire to cover it. I also sewed the top wings to the bottom wings. I only sewed half way because I wanted the wings to spread apart a little. After making some sketches of butterfly wings, I painted them. I embellished the wings with a small piece of a black boa (found at a craft store) and some ribbon.
I made these wings 7 or so years ago and they still look good despite all the use.
