Creating Kind Traditions with Eco-Friendly Holiday Crafts

Creating Kind Traditions with Eco-Friendly Holiday Crafts

Looking to establish some new holiday traditions that are kind to the planet? Try creating these three simple eco-friendly crafts with your family to decorate your home or pass on as gifts!

Did you know that Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s holiday than any other time of the year? What if we turned some of that trash into seasonal treasures?

My kids lovingly refer to my craft supplies as “the trash bucket” because it is filled with things we would otherwise discard into the trash or recycling bin. Items like plastic bottle caps, cardboard toilet paper tubes, metal lids, random pieces of ribbon, metal soup cans, and bits of string can all be found in the bucket. Add in some paint, colored pencils, glue, and a few items from our garage like safety goggles, hammers, and nails, and you’ve got the makings for endless creative activities for kids!

Kid-Friendly and Eco-Friendly Holiday Creations

Celebrating the holidays through an eco-friendly lens is not only good for the planet but also lighter on the wallet, as you should be able to find almost if not all of the materials required for each of the following crafts in your home. Most importantly, you are demonstrating to your children that materials have value, and should not be wasted, even if they were designed to be single-use items. Additionally, because these materials are common household items, you can allow your learners to be creative, as the worry of running out of supplies is quite unlikely!

1. Cardboard Tube Stars and Snowflakes

Materials Needed:

You’ll need the following materials to create the cardboard tube stars and snowflakes.

• Cardboard tubes such as toilet paper or paper towel rolls.
• Scissors
• Glue (regular school glue or hot glue both work well)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• String or twine
• Paint, crayons, or colored pencils (optional)

How to Make:

Once you’ve gathered all of your materials, follow these simple steps to create your cardboard tube stars and snowflakes to use as stunning holiday ornaments.

1. If you’d like colored stars and snowflakes, paint the interior and/or the exterior of the tube and let it dry.
2. Once dry, flatten the tube lengthwise to make it easier to cut.
3. Use a ruler to divide the tube into 2 cm segments. You’ll want 5-6 segments for the basic star or snowflake.
4. Cut the tube into equal segments. 
5. Arrange the cardboard tube segments next to each other in a circular pattern.
6. Glue the segments together. Using hot glue allows for a faster drying process, however, regular school glue works just fine.
7. Once dry, tie a string around the top of one of the segments to create a hanging loop.
8. If you’d like to add more detail to your star, paint and cut additional 2 cm segments, fold them in half, and glue them inside of the basic star shape to add detail.

Download a free, printable version of How to Make Cardboard Tube Stars and Snowflakes here. 

2. Upcycled a Metal Can Planter

Materials Needed:

Here is a list of the simple household items you’ll need to create your upcycled metal can planter.

• A clean, dry, small metal can with a smooth edge on the opened end
• Hammer
• Nail
• Safety goggles
• Potting soil
• Small rocks or pebbles
• A plastic, circular lid that is larger in diameter than the metal can
• Small plant
• Water
• Ribbon, twine, burlap, etc.
• Pliers (optional)

The small plants that I’ve recently planted have been trimmed from their adult plant and propagated in water. I love propagating, potting, and gifting Chinese money plants and Pothos plants, as they are easy to regrow and care for. Learn how to propagate your own plants here.

How to Make:

Once you’ve obtained the materials mentioned above, follow these simple steps to create a plant pot from a metal can.

1. Put on safety goggles.
2. Place your can on a flat surface, closed-end upward.
3. Using a hammer and nail, create five to six water drainage holes in the bottom of the can.
4. Turn the can right side up and add a few small pebbles to the bottom of the can.
5. Fill the can ¾ full with potting soil.
6. Place your small plant in the soil, using your hand to gently cover the roots with soil.
7. Fill the remaining space in the can with soil, gently pressing down the soil at the surface with your fingers.
8. Place a plastic lid upside down beneath the can to serve as a coaster to catch any excess water that flows through the drainage holes.
9. Gently water the plant.
10. Add embellishments to decorate the can if desired.

If you choose to gift your plant pot, be sure to include what type of plant your upcycled metal can contains, along with simple care instructions, such as watering frequency and type of sunlight needed (direct, indirect). Write these instructions in permanent marker on a clean, dry popsicle stick and place the stick in the plant pot for the new owner to discover.

Download a free, printable version of How to Transform a Metal Can into a Planter here.

Metal Lid Ornaments

Materials Needed:

Look no farther than your recycling bin and utility drawer to find all the materials needed to create these simple, festive ornaments.

• Clean, dry metal lid with smooth edges. Frozen juice concentrate or glass jar lids work best.
• Nail
• Hammer
• Safety goggles
• Paper 
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Tape
• Ruler- try this 10 Piece Math Set
• Cutting board or scrap piece of wood
• Ribbon, string, or yarn
• Pliers (optional)

If you plan to create these metal lid ornaments with kids, I have found that using a pair of pliers to hold the nail in place while my child taps the nail with a hammer has saved us some hurt fingers. Depending on the ability level of the one wielding the hammer, they can hold the nail in place with the pliers themselves, or an adult can be in charge of keeping it steady.

How to Make:

Once you have collected the materials needed, follow these simple instructions to create your personalized metal ornament.

1. Trace the circular are of the lid on a piece of paper.
2. Draw a simple image on the paper circle. I chose to sketch an outline of a tree; drawing a letter also works well for this project.
3. Cut out the paper circle and tape it to the metal lid.
4. Place the lid on top of a piece of scrap wood or cutting board.
5. Put on safety goggles.
6. Using a hammer and nail, trace the outline of your design by gently hammering small holes along the lines drawn.
7. Lift your paper drawing to check your work. Don’t like it? Add more holes if needed. The backside of the lid will be rough, so use caution when handling.
8. When you are satisfied with your design, hammer a hole in the top of the metal lid and run a ribbon through the hole.
9. Create a loop with the ribbon and tie it to create a hanger for your newly upcycled metal lid ornament.

Only a small amount of force is needed to create holes in the metal lid to allow light to pass through. Hold the completed metal lid ornament up to a light source to check that you have pierced the metal enough to let sufficient light pass through the holes.

Download a free, printable version of How to Create Metal Lid Ornaments here. 

View them all:

I’d love to see which crafts you create! Share them with me on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thoughtfullysustainable, or email them to me. Spreading kindness through sustainable crafting – that’s the best kind of holiday tradition!

Guest Author: Jessica Purcell is a science teacher and homeschooling mom of 2 that educates learners of all ages about science and sustainability.  You can find more of her sustainable activities on her blog.

We’d also love to see your creativity, so don’t forget to tag us @kindhumans_movement, if you try one of these OR any other homemade holiday crafts.  Happy Holidays!