Bottles and more Bottles- Don’t Toss them all, Make Fun Crafts with your kids!
Last year we went to the Solar Fest in Vermont. I went as a workshop presenter- teaching Recycle-It Crafts! We brought dozens of 2-Liter Bottles, 20 oz water bottles, Gatorade bottles and more. The kids had a blast making rocket ships, monsters and birdhouses. This year, I will come with even more bottles, even some glass bottles to make creative and easy crafts! We Up-cycle our bottles to make super-easy crafts.
This year, I found a few more fun and easy crafts to make with plastic bottles:
Water Bottle Flowers:
For the plastic bottle flowers, you can use a 2 liter bottle, 20 oz. water bottle or any size in between. Using a few different sizes will make your flower garden even prettier. You will need fabric for the petals, a long straw or stick and grass-like material for the flower vase.
Cut the top off the bottle, about half-way down, leaving the cap on. Make 5 to 8 cuts in the bottle and bend the sections out to make petals. Use glue to attach pretty fabric to the petals and cap. Glue the straw or stick to the back of the flower. Fill the bottom half of the bottle with marbles, tissue paper or any fun medium you can find. Push the straw into the base and you’re done!
FireFly Bottle:
This Firefly is super easy to make. You will need 4 pipe cleaners, come paper for the body and stiffer paper or cardboard for the wings. No need to cute this bottle. First, wrap the pipe cleaners around the bottle and shape the ends so they will make the bottle stand off the surface. Glue a piece of colored paper around the mid-section of the bottle. Cut out wings from card stock or cardboard and glue the wings on to the top. Take another pipe cleaner and wrap it around the neck of the bottle near the cap. Make the ends curly like antennae. Add a few eyes on the cap and you’re done! Take the cap off, add a glow stick and then you have a fire fly!
Easy Self-Water Seed Starter Pots:
This is a super-easy activity to do and kids will learn and be able to watch the plants grow in these seed starters that they made themselves. You need a 2-Liter bottle, some yarn, a hammer and screwdriver (or drill) and some dirt and seeds. Cut the bottle in half. Take the cap off and make a hole in it with a drill or screwdriver. Push the yarn through so some stays on either side of the cap. This will be a “wick” that will suck up water and keep the seedling’s water moist. Screw the cap back on with yarn in both side. Put water in the base of the bottle, turn the top upside down and nest it into the bottom. Add soil, seeds and water and watch them grow!!
Easy Homemade Sprinkler fun!
All you need for this craft is a 2-Liter Bottle and a hose! Just poke a bunch of holes in the bottle with scissors, flat head screwdriver or ice pick. Hook the hose up to the top of the bottle. Hang the hose over a tree branch, turn the water on and have fun!
You can also Poke more wholes all over the bottle, hook it up to a hose, leave it on the grass and turn it on. Now you have a sprinkler for kid fun or to water your lawn!
Glass bottle Painting:
Find 2 or 3 different sized glass bottles. Paint them completely white or a light color. After they dry, take a black sharpie and go to town making cool patterns and designs! Kids will love to create these bottles. They would make great gifts! You could use them for vases or just decorative accents in your home!
What other crafts do you make with recycled plastic and glass bottles??
Don’t Recycle all your bottles- Upcycle them into these fun crafts!