Environmentally Friendly Crafts and Activities for Kids

We all want to take care of the planet and teach our kids the importance of being responsible and resourceful. Here are some fun art and crafts activities that you can enjoy with your kids while being environmentally friendly.  

By Lynn D. Querubin  

Bird Feeders

What you need:

• Birdseed
• Gelatin  
• Mixing bowl 
• Spoon 
• Cookie cutters 
• Ribbon or string 
• Straw-sized twigs

Instructions

Mix together some gelatin and the birdseed to bind the mixture together. Either use a spoon or get your hands in there to mix it up. Either way is great for developing motor skills!

Push the mixture into cookie cutters to create some fun shapes. Use your straw-sized twigs to create holes where a string will go through once the shapes have hardened.

Place the mixture in a refrigerator for around 30 minutes (or until hardened). Remove the cookie cutter and the twig. Then, let your child feed the string or ribbon through the hole.

Hang your bird feeder outside in the garden on a tree branch and watch while the birds enjoy your creation. 

Bonus tip: You can also make some homemade binoculars from toilet roll tubes for extra fun.  

Rock and Leaf Painting

Painting on stones and fallen tree leaves is so much more fun than painting on plain paper. During the activity, ask your child to tell you what sounds they hear and textures they feel.

Head out into the garden or while you are having a morning of play in the park and collect different sizes and shapes of leaves and small round stones or pebbles. Nice smooth stones can be found at the beach too, or you can also do this activity with shells.

Let your child paint the leaf or turn the leaf into an animal. There are many ways to use the stones. You can use them for decorations, paperweights, brightening up the garden or flower pots. You can paint or draw different eyes, noses, mouths and ears and have your child create funny faces. 

Bonus tip: Paint numbers and letters on the stones for developing letter recognition and pre-math skills.   

Oobleck!

The name oobleck comes from the Dr. Seuss book, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” In the story, oobleck is a gooey green substance that fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom. You could start off with storytime and then make your own Oobleck!

This activity is an especially fun one. Do not be afraid to get messy. With the pollution in Bangkok affecting our outdoor play, here is a fun indoor activity that needs only two ingredients!

What you need:

• Cornstarch (or Corn flour)
• Water
• Food colouring (optional)

That’s it! 

Instructions

Find a large bucket or tray. Pour in the cornstarch and add the water slowly until you get a gooey consistency. 

Once you have it right, you can add some food colouring. 

Mix with your hands again. 

Ways to play with Oobleck:

• Grab handfuls and squeeze it. Let it ooze through your fingers.
• Roll some oobleck into a ball. It becomes solid, but when you stop moving it, watch and feel it melt through your fingers. 

These are just a few examples of environmentally friendly crafts and activities that you can enjoy at home with your children, but the hours of fun are endless. Use your imagination, get out and enjoy the great outdoors, and see what you can find to create!   

About the Author

Lynn is passionate about early childhood education, and has been leading the Playgroup at KIS International School for the past 10 years. Originally from a wee town in Scotland, she settled down in Thailand in 1998 with her Filipino husband. Lynn is a mother of 2 children, and she also teaches as a dance instructor and choreographer for shows, dance studios, and at KIS. For more information about KIS International School, please visit www.kis.ac.th.

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