One of the most important values that children need to learn nowadays is the importance of taking care of our planet Earth. This is where we live, this is our home so we need to take care of our planet.
This is also a blessing from God that we have to nurture.
When each child and also every person on earth learns how to properly take care of mother Earth, our planet will definitely be a better place to live in.
Through upcycling (creative reuse of old materials), things can have a new purpose, a new life that may also bring bliss and life to the people around us.
With this, here are ten earth-friendly activities that you may do with your child using old materials that can be found at home:
1. Magazine flower mosaic
Cut colorful pages of magazines into small squares. Stick these squares on another piece of paper to make a very beautiful flower artwork. You may also give your mosaic as a gift to your beloved family and friends!
2. Rainbow Caterpillars
Divide an egg carton into several columns. Paint each column using different colors of paint. Put two short fuzzy wires as antennae. You may stick small googly eyes or draw your caterpillar's eyes.
3. Newspaper Tiktok Dance
Play and dance to Tiktok songs. Fold the newspaper into half for each round, until the newspaper becomes very small. Once the music stops, the players should not go outside the newspaper If you go outside the newspaper, you will be out of the game. The last player to stay inside the newspaper will be the winner!
4. My Cardboard Vehicle
What's your favorite vehicle? Children will definitely have a lot of fun to have their own vehicle! Your old cardboard at home could turn into a very colorful vehicle. Paint or cover the cardboard with colorful papers. Put a garter so you can wear and play with it as much as you can!
5. Cute Cloth Plushies
Old clothes can turn into cute and colorful plushies! Create a template of the shape of the plushie that your child wants to make. Cut two pieces of cloth using the template. Sew the sides and put cotton inside before closing it.
6. Summer in a Bottle
Clean an old transparent plastic bottle. Fill half of it with water. Put a few drops of blue food coloring to make the water blue. Draw and cut sea animals and seashells using foam sheets or metallic paper. You may also put glitters, pebbles, or sand inside!
7. My Colorful Pots
Clean a big plastic bottle. Cut it into half (either horizontally or vertically). Be creative in painting it! Once the paint is dry, you may now use it as a pot for planting!
8. Ocean Shoebox Diorama
Get an old shoebox, colorful papers, folders, paint, and your coloring materials. Paint or decorate the interior of the box so it will look like a beautiful ocean. Draw, color, and cut ocean animals on a folder. You may also put them on sticks for a mini puppet show!
9. My Family Puppets
Using old tissue cores, this will serve as the body of your family puppets. Be creative in decorating them using your coloring materials. You may also create puppets for your pets and favorite animals!
10. My Treasure/Mailbox
Your old shoebox can also turn into a colorful treasure box! Decorate it with colorful papers or old magazines. You may also cut a hole so it can turn into a mailbox! You may either put here the things that you cherish or the letters given to you.
Indeed, there are several activities that we may do at home to bring happiness to our planet Earth. You just have to open your eyes to see the things that may be upcycled and use your wide imagination to create wonderful and amazing artworks!