Recycled Art Round-Up

Recycled Art with Preschoolers

Using recyclables in preschool art invitations is a great way to explore a variety of art mediums, textures, and a great way to create 3D  and process art.
 Teaching preschoolers the value in using recycled materials not only engages creative thinking skills, it also teaches the importance of being kind to Earth and is great for art on a budget.
These art invitations  are especially great to include with your Recycling and Earth Day Theme as preschoolers get first hand experience in transforming unwanted items into a special piece of art!

Reduce, reuse, and recycle are three essential aspects we teach preschoolers starting at a young age. Using recycled material in art and play is a great way to put those practices into action! If you have an Earth Day celebration or are incorporating an Earth Theme in your classroom, these art projects will fit right in. There are a ton of fun projects to make, from bottle caps, cereal boxes and all those leftover Amazon packages! Below is a list of ways to reuse materials to create masterpieces. 

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Stamping with Recyclables

One simple invitation to create with recyclables is with plastic bottles and lids.  This activity invites preschoolers to choose various bottles and caps to create their own painting. The best part is it requires little to no prep. This plastic bottle stamp tutorial takes a deeper dive into the process. 

Newspaper Painting 

Another great activity with re-used material is a newspaper painting activity. Have your preschoolers collect a few recycled newspapers from home to bring into the classroom. Encourage scissor skill development by having them cut out pieces to glue on their paper.   After gluing the strips, invite them to explore with watercolors on their paper.

Teacher tip: Depending on skill level, you might want to have strips cut prior to beginning the project. 

Paper Plate Crafts

Recycled art can also mean using materials you already have at home or in your classroom. Stamping with fruit and vegetables is one of the coolest ways to show preschoolers how you can use natural materials within art. Check out this neat Lily Pad Potato stamping Tutorial for an addition to your pond theme. 

Painting with Flowers

Grab a few wilting flowers from your garden or vase and turn them into beautiful artwork. Painting with flowers is a multi-sensory activity that will allow preschoolers to engage different senses while creating a work of art. When preschoolers paint with different objects and textures, they begin to problem-solve and have to think about controlling their muscles differently to manipulate the flower to paint. 

Drop Art 

Drop art painting is one of those activities that will definitely wow your little learners. It's unique, it requires focus and attention and it's an engaging new way to explore art. This is another activity that requires you to pull out some old materials and make them brand new again!

Bottle Cap Art & Crafts

Collecting bottle caps is a great activity to pair with a recycling theme. Invite preschoolers to bring in different-sized caps from home. Then they can use the bottle caps for various painting activities. In this bottle cap grape tutorial, we used purple paint to make grapes! This is an excellent introduction for painting with new materials.

Here is another way to use bottle caps in art. Create a fun birthday cake collage to give as a gift or in celebration of Earth Day.

Dinosaur Feet

Preschoolers love dinosaurs, especially when they get to pretend to be one. Create your own dinosaur feet with empty tissue boxes. One thing preschool teachers aren't lacking is empty tissue boxes! Let your preschoolers paint the empty box and teachers can assist by adding on cut-up sponges for the spiky toes. If you are planning a dinosaur theme in the near future, this is the perfect recycled art project to include.

Magnet Painting

Magnet painting is a fun way to explore STEAM components with preschoolers. This activity invites preschoolers to understand more deeply about how magnets work. You can extend this activity by placing the magnets inside an empty water bottle for preschoolers to practice with the magnetic wand.

Egg Carton Caterpillars

Caterpillars are fascinating creatures and often studied in the preschool classroom. There are so many fun activities to do when it comes to learning about these creepy crawlers. Invite your preschoolers to create their own with painted egg cartons, googly eyes, and pipe cleaner antennas! Head over to our Caterpillar and Butterfly themed page if you're on the hunt for some fun activities. 

Pendulum Painting

Pendulum painting supports preschoolers in understanding force as well as trial and error when working to splatter the paint onto the paper. This art invitation is perfect to pair with your Circus Theme.

Paper Towel Roll Art

Pull out that collection of empty paper towel rolls and a few different paint colors. Let your preschoolers roll the empty tubes through different colors of paint onto their paper. A simple yet fun process art activity for preschoolers. 
**Teacher Tip: try sticking on foam stickers or drizzling hot glue on the empty tubes to add some texture to the project.

Make your own paper and crayons

Recycle your paper into new paper!
You can even add seeds to your paper to create lovely seed paper gifts-that's are perfect for Mother's Day!

Don't throw those crayon bits away!
Use them to create new crayons.

Recycled Collage

One of the simplest and easiest ways to let preschoolers express their creativity is by simply allowing them to choose their materials. Gather used buttons, caps, fabrics, tissue paper, and any other items you'd like. Then, simply lay them out and let preschoolers gather to glue onto paper to create their own recycled collage. 

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Next time you are considering heading to the craft store for art supplies, take a look around your home and classroom to find recycled materials that can turn into some pretty fun and unique projects for your preschoolers!

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Earth Day & Recycling Lesson Planning Ideas