Sydney Piercey, author of Sustainable Play: 60+ Crafts for an Earth-kind Home, shares her favourite zero-waste playtime makes
As an eco and budget conscious mother to three, I love finding ways to turn things I can find around the house into toys, games, costumes and decorations. There’s always a loo roll tube or two to be found lying around somewhere, or an empty cereal box, or egg carton, making these perfect materials from which to craft from time and time again.
And so the following five crafts are based around five things I can easily find at any given time, to make with or for my children.
1. The cereal box doll’s house
What you will need:
Cereal box
Scrap cardboard
Scissors
Tape and glue
You can turn any old cereal box into the perfect miniature house with a few simple steps. Cut your box open along the front right edge and the front bottom edge to create the large door. Add a length of scrap cardboard the same width of the inside of the box for the first floor, and tape into place. Cut out windows and a door, (I use a square of scrap cardboard as a stencil to get the sizes to match), and then add details such as roof tiles and doorknobs. This quick craft has great long-term value, my kids love returning to it for pretend play with their peg dolls, but also love the opportunity for some interior design – cutting and sticking from magazines for décor!
2. The juice carton bird feeder
What you will need:
Milk or juice carton
Scissors
Glue
Optional: sticks, glue, crayons, paint
This Earth-friendly craft is especially great for the spring and autumn months – the two best seasons for bird spotting. To make your birdhouse, simply cut a window out from one side of your carton, halfway up. You could do a circle here, a square, or an arch. Then, decorate your house. We love adding sticks to make a roof, sticking them onto the slants of the carton. This is something that little ones can do independently if you apply the glue for them first. Once your birdhouse is decorated, fill it with birdseed and leave it outside! Fun fact: raisins make great food for birds (soak them in warm water first so they’re soft and easier to bite) and eggshells too! Bake clean shells at 250 degrees for 15 minutes, and then crush. Another way to put waste to good use.
3. The loo roll magnifying glass
What you will need:
Scrap cardboard
Clear film (such as food packaging)
Loo roll
Scissors
Glue
Optional: drinking glass
Another simple upcycle, the loo roll magnifying glass has many uses. A prop for outdoor play to spot creepy crawlies, or an accessory for an explorer or spy costume. Begin by cutting your loo roll tube open vertically. Roll it into a tighter tube and tape to secure. Next, cut a circle out of your scrap cardboard – you can use a drinking glass as a stencil for this. Folding your circle in half, cut a small semi-circle, so as you’re left with a hollow circle shape. Cut another circle, slightly smaller than the first circle from some clear film. I like getting my kids involved when hunting for materials like this around the house. Often, it’s just rummaging through the recycling bin, but for this craft we found the clear film from a packet of tortilla wraps! Glue your clear film to one side of your cardboard circle, cut two slits across the top of your tube and slide your ‘magnifying lens’ into its ‘handle’. You can add tape to secure too if you need to.
4. The cardboard sheet dinosaurs
What you will need:
Sheet of cardboard
Scissors
I’ve shared our cardboard dinosaurs a couple of times on Instagram, and whenever I do, they always get so much love! They’re really simple to make, so it’s achievable to make a whole pack, which is very well received by young dinosaur enthusiasts! To make them, cut out a number of dinosaur silhouettes. You can draw these beforehand, using books or the internet for inspiration, or cut them out freehand. Next, cut legs for your dinosaurs. The legs are arch shapes (two per dinosaur) with foot details added at the end. Finally, cut two slits halfway up your dinosaur and slot their legs into them.
5. The scrap paper paper chains
What you will need:
Scrap paper (tissue paper, newspaper, magazines, wrapping paper)
Scissors
Glue
Paper chains are such a classic, but underrated I think as I don’t see them being used enough! I love that you can reuse so many things to make them: newspapers, magazines, children’s drawings or my current favourite: tissue paper from parcels. Often when we use newspaper, my kids will paint sheets of it while I cut the sheets into thin strips. Cut several strips of your paper, curve into a loop and glue to secure. Repeat this with another strip, linking it through your first strip. Continue this for as long as you like, or until your paper runs out to make lovely long paper chains.
