Earth Day takes place annually on 22 April, and the theme for this year is ‘Invest In Our Planet.’ This week’s article revolves around Earth Day Crafts for kids, which are perfect and fun for teens and adults. To raise awareness for this cause, the crafts used are all made use of recycled materials that are readily available. This article will focus on three main Earth Day crafts: the DIY Camera, DIY Doll Car, and the DIY recycled lantern using recycled materials.
Table of Contents:
- Materials Needed for DIY Camera Craft
- Steps to Create a DIY Camera Craft
- Materials Needed for DIY Doll Car
- Steps to Create a DIY Doll Car
- Materials Needed for DIY Recycled Lantern
- Steps to Create a DIY Recycled Lantern
- Final Words
Materials Needed for Earth Day Crafts – DIY Camera Craft
- Empty rectangular box
- 1 x A3 construction paper
- Toilet roll
- Scotch Tape
- Washi Tape
- Sponge/foam base
- Penknife
- Scissors
- Glue/Super glue
- Pencil/Marker
- Sequin (Optional)
Steps to Create a DIY Camera Craft:
Firstly we start by wrapping the empty box with construction paper. (Feel free to use the wrapping paper of your preferred choice).
Next, we use a pencil/marker to trace the base circle using the toilet roll as a guide.
We use a pen knife to cut out the circle demarcated in the previous step.
The next step involves cutting out about 3cm (height) of the toilet roll. Do take note to cut the circumference as straight as possible. The cut-out part will be used as the button that controls the shutter.
Glue the edges of the toilet roll and secure it into the hole that was being cut open in the previous step. Seal the gaps with tape.
Next, we trace out the diameter of the toilet roll twice on the styrofoam/sponge base. This will be used for the cover of the lens and the button.
After that, we cut the two foam circles and used them as the cover for the toilet roll (lens cover and button).
Following that, we cover the lens cover by sticking (black) construction paper and covering the top part of the shutter with washi tape.
Last but not least, decorate the rest of the DIY camera as you see fit!
Materials Needed for Earth Day Crafts – DIY Doll Car
- Drawing Block
- 1 x long box
- 1 x slightly shorter box (with the same width as the long box)
- Glue/ Super glue
- Scissors
- Tape
- 1 x Toilet roll
- Paint (Poster Colour/ Acrylic)
- Penknife
Steps to create a DIY Doll Car:
Firstly, we start with wrapping both the boxes with a drawing block and secure the wrapping with tape.
Next, place the smaller box on top (centre) of the larger box and mark its position. (You may refer to the image below as a reference)
Use a penknife to cut a rectangular hole for the top centre of the larger box and the base of the smaller box. This will create the space in the ‘car.’
Next, use the penknife to cut only out a rectangular flap from the smaller box. This flap represents the roof of the car.
Attach the base of the smaller box to the bigger box with glue. During this process, ensure that both the boxes’ openings are aligned.
Next, we proceed with painting and decorating the ‘car.’ Let your imagination run wild and come up with the wackiest designs!
The next step involves cutting the toilet roll into four equal parts and painting them black. These four parts represent the wheels of the ‘car.’
Last but not least, apply super glue at the edges of the toilet roll and secure them firmly to the car. Here is a design was done by one of our students!
Materials needed for Earth Day Crafts – DIY Recycled Lantern
- 1 x Water Bottle (1 Litre)
- Scissors/Penknife
- Double-sided Tape
- Permanent Marker
- Wire (about 50 cm)
- Super Glue
- 1 x Satay Stick
- A3 Drawing Block (1 piece)
- 1 x Tea light Candle
- Pencil
- Oil Pastels
Steps to Create a DIY Recycled Lantern:
Firstly fold the drawing block in half. Each half will be used for one side of the lantern.
Next, draw your character on both sides of the drawing block. Try to fill up as much of the drawing block as possible.
For this craft, we will be drawing Chang’e, the moon goddess, on one side, and on the other, we will write the Chinese characters for Happy Mid Autumn Festival or “中秋节快乐”.
Sketch out the Moon Goddess using light coloured oil pastel. Check out our oil pastel still life drawing tutorial for more tips and tricks on controlling the oil pastels.
Next, we colour the character. The colours used are entirely subjective, so feel free to let your imagination take flight.
Following that, we proceed with cutting out the moon goddess.
Repeat this process for the opposite side.
Remove the plastic wrapper around the bottle. After that, we use the permanent marker to mark out a rectangle in the middle of the bottle.
Make sure that the hole is big enough for your hand to enter. You may refer to the image below for further clarification.
Align the double-sided tape along the edges of the rectangle.
Secure your drawings to the bottle with super glue.
Next, we connect one end of the wire to the bottle cap and secure it with a knot.
Connect the other end to the other end of the bottle.
Loop the interim of the wire around the exterior of the bottle.
Make use of the indents of the water bottle, if there are any. Otherwise, secure the other end with super glue.
Next, we apply super glue to hold the two parts firmly together.
Last but not least, we place the tea light candle in the middle of the rectangle and secure it to the bottle with double-sided tape.
Light the candle and have fun with your DIY recycled lantern!
Here’s the time-lapse of the Chinese lantern making process:
Final Words
Earth Day is an important day to spread awareness about issues plaguing our planet, from pollution to deforestation and global warming. It is a time to divert our attention towards caring for the environment and raising awareness about threats to its well-being. We hope that readers will better understand and be aware of the importance of caring for the environment through our Earth Day Crafts, starting from an individual level.
Stay tuned to our socials for the more tips and tricks to improve your crafts!
