Did you know that it requires a colossal amount of energy to manufacture plastic bottles, recycle or destroy them? Plastic bottles can come in handy when we’re thirsty anytime and anywhere, but when we dispose them they could do much harm and destruction to the environment. Fortunately. the power is in your hands to extend the lifespan of plastic bottles, as they can come in handy for a good family pastime. Check out these 5 creative DIY plastic bottle craft ideas that you can do with your kids below.
Apple Zipper Container
Help your kids to stay organised with all their little stuffs from erasers to accessories that would be much more meaningful if they could stay in one place. Otherwise, to locate it is as if searching for a needle in a haystack. (P.S. This fun DIY project would require you to have an ice-cream.)
Materials you need:
- Empty red & green plastic bottles
- Red & green zippers
- Hot glue gun
- Ice-cream stick
- Cut-out green paper leaves
- String
- Punch holder
- Craft knife
Instructions:
- You’ll need 2 bottles to make an apple because it takes two to tango. Cut off the bottom parts of the bottle.
- Carefully glue zipper onto 2 bottles to make them stick.
- Cut off a bit of ice-cream stick and glue it in the middle of the top bottle.
- Punch a hole on the cut-out leaf to tie a string around the ice-cream stick and there you go!
Rocket Piggy Bank
Teaching kids to save money since young will offer them a lifetime of benefits and it just got a lot more fun too!
Materials you need:
- Empty white plastic bottle (any size you prefer)
- Glue
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Scrap paper
- A permanent marker
Instructions:
- Remove label off empty bottle. To create a slot for inserting coins, use craft knife to cut a 1 1/2″ x 1/8″ wide slot along the bottleneck.
- Use scissors to cut out fin templates. Glue fin templates at the bottom of the bottle.
- Use a permanent marker to draw the outline of the rocket and voila!
Eco-friendly Bowling
Bowling is fun for kids and adults alike. You’ll be surprised how plastic bottle craft can turn into a favorite family pastime.
Materials you need:
- 10 big plastic bottles
- Red duct tape
- Small rubber ball
- Sand
- Scissors
- White spray paint
Instructions:
- Spray all plastic bottles with white paint.
- Make two stripes on the pins with red duct tape.
- Fill a quarter of the bottle with sand (depending on the weight of the ball).
- Roll ball to bowl a strike!
Spooky Milk Jug Ghosts
This one is ideal for Halloween decoration if you haven’t the time to shop for pumpkins and carve them.
Materials you need:
- Decorative mini lights
- Empty milk jugs
- Rocks
- Knife
- Sharpie marker
Instructions:
- Use a sharpie marker to draw spooky faces on each milk jug.
- Cut a big hole at the back of the milk jug without cutting off the entire skin so that you can still use its skin to cover up.
- Place rocks inside milk jug to keep it standing and place decorative mini lights inside.
- Turn on lights and BOO!
Whimsical Bottle Planter
Save yourself a trip to IKEA when you can create your own plastic pot plant with your kids at home.
Materials you need:
- Empty soda bottle
- Googly eyes
- Coloured bottle caps
- Soil
- Seeds
Instructions:
- Cut off the bottom of a soda bottle.
- Stick a pair of googly eyes and colored bottle cap on the bottle to give your pot plant a friendly face that kids will adore.
- Fill up bottle with soil and spread seeds across.
- Water soil and wait with your kids to watch plant grow.
These are 5 easy and creative DIY projects you can work on with your little ones to nurture their creativity. Creativity is a core skill to practice with our kids, as it is a key component in mental growth. Further to that, it’s also important that we make sure that our kids are within the optimal weight and height range to ensure that they are not falling behind. A fun way to keep track on their progress is by using PediaSure’s interactive growth wheel
For other creative DIY crafts involving cute animals, check out our article on tissue paper Owls HERE.