Earth Day is fast approaching (April 22), though there really is never a bad time to celebrate Mother Earth. It’s important to teach students the environmental benefits of recycling, like conserving energy and natural resources and reducing air and water pollution, all year long. While recycling breaks down old items in order to create something new, upcyling makes something new from an existing object in its current state. Challenge your students to create something unique and wonderful from preexisting items like magazines, plastic water bottles, tin cans, egg cartons, and more. Check out our list of the best crafts for Earth Day or any day, and give some of them a try!
1. Mix up some wildflower seed bombs
Give back to Mother Earth with these easy-to-make seed bombs. Blend together used scraps of construction paper, water, and wildflower seeds in a food processor, then form them into tiny muffins. Let them dry, then toss them in the ground. As the seed bombs receive sun and rain, the paper will eventually compost and the seeds will germinate.
Learn more: Learn How To Make Seed Bombs
2. Make nature bracelets
Using a roll of wide masking tape, form a bracelet on each student’s wrist, sticky side out. Then, take your kids on a nature walk to search for interesting leaves, flowers, berries, and such. When they find things they like, have them stick them to their bracelet.
3. Construct a bug hotel
Create a cozy place for all the creepy-crawlies to hang out. Collect 2-liter plastic bottles. Cut the ends off of each bottle and give one to each student. Now, go outside and gather sticks, pine cones, bark, and other natural materials. Stuff the organic materials tightly into the plastic cylinder. Then loop a piece of twine or yarn around each cylinder and hang your bug hotels from a tree branch or fence.
4. Make a quilt
Textiles make up a huge portion of municipal solid waste—over 16 million tons per year! Teach your kids to repurpose old material that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Simply cut material into uniform squares and sew them together to create a cozy quilt.
5. Plant a tree
Teach your students about how important trees are for our ecosystem. Read books, watch a short film, do a mini research project. Then, to inspire students to take action, have a planting day in the classroom. Choose a seedling that does well in your environment and send each student home with their own mini tree to care for and hopefully plant in the ground once it grows.
6. Piece together magazine collages
Generations of kids have loved creating free-form collages from magazines. Ask families to donate used magazines. Then, encourage students to cut out images that appeal to them. Next, glue the pieces onto a sheet of card stock, making sure they overlap so that no white shows.
7. Plant a hanging garden
Large plastic bottles become beautiful hanging planters in this green-living, green-thumb project. A great way to make a gorgeous hanging garden.
8. Upcycle trash into flower art
Scraps of paper are the only supplies you need for this recycled-flower-garden activity and lesson. The measurement and math element is an added bonus.
Learn more: Fun Earth Day Recycled Garden Activity
9. “Grow” an egg carton tree
Save those egg cartons and create adorable recycled trees. Begin by painting grass and a tree trunk on the bottom 2/3 of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. Paint the bottom of an egg carton green. Then, separate out the cups with a pair of scissors. Once the sections are dry, have students glue the sections above the trunk to form the leaves of the tree.
10. Repurpose toilet paper rolls into binoculars
Save those paper rolls so your class can customize their own binoculars. Simply glue two toilet paper rolls together, side by side. Decorate using paints, stickers, markers, or crayons. Finally, attach a string so kids can wear them around their neck.
11. Make this Earth Day shaving cream project
Your young learners will love this fun art project! To begin, cut out large circles from card stock to represent planet Earth. Then, in two separate containers, combine shaving cream and green craft paint in one and shaving cream and blue craft paint in the other. Display a picture of Earth, then give each student a circle, a paintbrush, and the blue and green paints, and watch them create.
12. Feed the birds
This one is an oldie but a goodie! Take your kids outside and collect pine cones. Attach a string to the top of the pine cone. Then roll the pine cone in peanut butter, then sesame or sunflower seeds. Take your bird feeders outside and hang them in a nearby tree. Enjoy watching the birds gather.
13. Create colorful suncatcher wind chimes
Tape sheets of clear contact paper onto desks, sticky side up. Then, have students press found sticks, flowers, feathers, etc., onto the paper. Once the treasures are secure, place another sheet of contact paper on top, sticky side down. Use a mason jar lid to trace a circle over the sheets. Cut out the circle, then pop it into the lid. Tie string to the lids and dangle from a stick.
14. Make Earth Day crafts from paper bags
Brown paper bags become eco-canvases for artwork made from paint, crayons, and chalk. Bonus points if you can source handled bags because the handles serve as built-in artwork hangers.
15. Build a tiny city from recycled materials
Have your students create an adorable village using little more than paper rolls, construction paper, scissors, paint, glue, tape, and their imagination!
16. Create pebble art
Take students outside to collect small rocks and pebbles. Have them arrange the rocks into a pattern of their choice. Get creative, and try for as many different designs as you can! Glue the elements onto a piece of cardboard if you want to keep the designs.
17. Use old crayons to make Earth Day crayons
This isn’t just any recycled crayon—it’s a gorgeous Earth crayon! You can make these with your kids using a muffin tin. You just need to sort out the right colors.
Learn more: Earth Crayons
18. Use upcycled objects to make mazes
STEM and recycling go together wonderfully! Have students glue/tape straws, stones, wood beads, or blocks down to create a maze in the bottom of a shallow cardboard box. Then see if they can “run” the maze using a marble.
19. Make a rope snake
Recycling projects that use objects you may have lying around your garage or shed are some of our favorites. Grab that old rope you’ve been saving and create adorable rope snakes with your students. Simply use tape to create stripes and attach a wooden spoon to one end as the head. Add eyes with a Sharpie and a forked tongue made from colored paper.
20. Create a plastic bottle bird feeder
Herald spring with this easy crowd-pleaser: the large plastic bottle bird feeder. This short video will teach kids how to get started constructing their feeders.
21. Organize classroom supplies using old cans
Tin cans are easy to get your hands on, and they are great for organizing supplies. Simply paint a few cans with colorful acrylic paint, then glue them down to a cardboard or plywood base. Perfect as a supply station for each desk group.
22. Create papier-mâché pots
Cut off the bottoms of beverage bottles or reuse food containers and jazz them up with bright-colored paper scraps attached with Mod Podge or glue. Except for the glue, these papier-mâché planters are composed solely of recycled materials.
Learn more: Papier-Mâché Pots
23. Make a necklace out of found items
Earth Day art that is wearable is a bonus. Use found objects and colored string to create unique necklaces. Materials to use: nature objects, decorated cardboard squares, pom-poms, beads, or anything else your students can think of!
24. Make chair fidgets out of old tees
Give old T-shirts new life with this chair fidget craft. This uses a simple braiding technique, and your kids will love helping out.
25. Collaborate on an aluminum can recycling bin
Kids can work together to create an aluminum-can recycling center. Watch the video to get the simple instructions and learn how your school can make recycling fun and rewarding.
26. Build tin can robots
Recycling projects like these are the best. The materials are easy to source and most kids are fascinated by robots. Have a supply of clean, used tin cans and recycled materials such as bottle caps, corks, plastic lids, paper, material, etc. Then let your kids, and their imaginations, loose.
27. Make cupcake paper flowers
This project is so fun and easy. All you need is cupcake liner papers, mini-cupcake liner papers, buttons, paper straws, and glue. To construct, glue a button to the center of the small cupcake liner. Then, glue the smaller liner to the center of the larger one. Finally, attach a straw to the back to serve as a stem and add paper leaves.
28. Create a giant upcycled art wall
Challenge your students to create an amazing recycled wall masterpiece. Tape a large square of cardboard to a wall, then let students add recycled materials to it, paint it, and create with it whenever they have free time throughout the day. Materials to consider: egg cartons, Popsicle sticks, paper rolls, and straw.
29. Make your own games
Use plastic bottle caps to create game pieces for a tic-tac-toe game. Or paint caps red and black to be used as checkers. Set it up as a makerspace challenge. Lay out a supply of upcycled items (paper, plastic, foil, cardboard, etc.) and classroom supplies and challenge teams of students to create games with them.
30. Make a treasure magnet
Treasure magnets make a beautiful gift! Fill a recycled metal bottle cap with glue. Then stick a variety of craft gemstones and beads into the glue with a toothpick. Finally, add a magnet to the back.
31. Craft stick flower pots
This project is not only cute, it’s a great exercise to build fine motor skills. All you need is a small recycled plastic container, glue, and wood craft sticks. Simply have students glue the sticks vertically around the perimeter, tie a bow around the middle with jute string, and voilà! To personalize your pots, decorate the sticks with paint or markers before you glue them on.
32. Make a terrarium
Recycled plastic bottles can get a second life as museum-worthy terrariums as well as a home for an environmental science project. Cut the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of a 2-liter bottle off. In the bottom half, insert small plants or flowers into a mix of soil, activated charcoal, and moss. Then pop the top on to create a humid, protected growing environment.
33. Paint with corks
This is the perfect kind of Earth Day project since you use recycled material to create a pointillism-type painting. Put out an all-call to families for used corks or buy an inexpensive set of corks online. Set out paper, bowls of paint, and corks for dipping, then let students create to their hearts’ content.
34. Earth Day paper plate craft
Help your students show their love for planet Earth with this fun and easy craft. Simply decorate a paper plate with blue and green to represent the Earth. Then, have students trace their hands and wrists onto plain paper. Cut them out and attach the wrist side to the back of the plate. Fold the hands to the front to create a “hug-like” effect, giving love to our planet.
35. Form flowers from water bottles
Create these stunning flowers from plastic bottles and water-based paint markers. String them together for a colorful garland for your classroom.
36. Build cardboard castles
Gather up a supply of recycled cardboard products. Think cereal boxes, tissue boxes, paper rolls, milk cartons, and more. Add in a roll of masking tape and glue, then set your tiny teams of engineers to work. You’ll be amazed by what they create!
37. Make newspaper owls
Old newspapers find their spirit animal when they become recycled newspaper owls. Simply supply a template of the outline of an owl’s body and another for the wings. Then have students trace and cut the pieces from recycled newspaper and glue the pieces together. Finally, decorate with crayons and watercolors and add large googly eyes and a beak made from orange construction paper.
38. Construct a plastic bottle recycling bin
Water bottles come together, as do your kids, to make this water bottle recycling center. This project combines teamwork with respect for our environment, a double win.
39. Mix up a batch of Earth Day slime
Slime is an exciting activity no matter the holiday. Check our video for the best glitter slime recipe around!
40. Make balloon bongos
These fun musical instruments are so much fun and easy to make! Simply take recycled tin cans of various sizes and stretch a balloon across the top. Secure the balloon onto the can with a rubber band or piece of jute string. Then get drumming!
41. Create a spinning top
Do you have a bunch of CDs lying around that never get played anymore? How about a box or drawer of markers that barely write? If you do, this is the perfect project for you! Simply have kids decorate a CD with a painted design, then insert and glue a dead marker in the middle. And voilà! A custom spinning top!
42. Fashion ladybugs from bottle caps
Ladybugs are so cute—most kids can’t resist them! To make your own versions, paint plastic bottle caps red (or whatever color students like best). Then, add black polka dots and a black semicircle on one edge for the face. Glue googly eyes on and there you have it: your own little pocket ladybugs.
43. Create a coffee filter Earth
One of the classic Earth Day art projects! Simple to make and beautiful to display, these coffee filter Earths are a cinch. Simply color paper coffee filters with blue and green markers, then squirt with a water bottle.
44. Create Earth Day agamographs
An agamograph is a piece of art created from strips of paper strung together that appears to change or move when viewed from different angles. Choose an Earth Day theme, such as the recycling symbol, trees, or clean water, and try your own!
Learn more: Earth Day Agamographs
45. Make DIY recycled plantable seed paper
Tear newspaper into small pieces and soak in a bowl of water overnight. The next day, blend the paper and water into a pulp with a blender. Strain the pulp, then add seeds and blend thoroughly. Spread the pulp in a thin layer on top of paper towels and allow to dry completely. Once it’s dry, cut into square or shapes.
46. Craft a pair of egg carton glasses
How creative is this egg carton craft for Earth Day? All you need is a two-egg section of an egg carton for the goggles. Cut the small ends out so students can see through them. Add pipe cleaners on either side for the strap. Then personalize them with craft paint. Superhero goggles from an egg carton, who knew?
47. Put together an Earth Day mosaic puzzle
First, cut out a circle of thin cardboard to serve as the Earth. Next, have students glue small scraps of blue and green to represent the continents and the oceans. When the glue dries, top with clear contact paper. Flip the “Earth” over and have students draw the pieces of the puzzle. It may be easiest to find a puzzle template to trace. Finally, cut out the pieces and you’ve got a snazzy Earth Day puzzle.
48. Construct a papier-mâché globe
Most kids love the sloppy process of papier-mâché. To begin, cut newspapers into strips. Dip the strips into a mixture of one part flour and two parts water. Drape over a form. To create an Earth shape, use a balloon. Once the “Earth” dries, paint it green and blue.
49. Make Earth Day salt dough crafts
Salt dough crafts are so much fun to celebrate Earth Day! Make these colorful Earth Day medallions, then attach string. Your kids will wear their Earth Day pride for all to see. To make the salt dough, combine one part salt, one part water, and two parts flour, and knead for 7 to 10 minutes.
50. Mesmerize with DIY Earth Day sensory bottles
It’s amazing what a calming effect these dreamy bottles can have. Simply fill a small, clear plastic bottle or jar with half water and half baby oil. Then add a few Planet Earth marbles and maybe a little glitter.
What are your favorite things to do for Earth Day? Come share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!
Plus, check out these Beautiful Earth Day Poems for inspiration.
