Plastic-Free Crafting with Kids

By Megan Travi

Crafting with kids has become a plastic-filled nightmare. Glitter, foam, googly-eyes, beads, pipe cleaners… So. Much. Plastic. If you’re like me, many of these precious works of art spend a few days affixed to your refrigerator door, then end up in the trash. What a waste!

It may be hard to control what happens in schools and daycares, but I’m here to inspire some plastic-free craft ideas you can easily do at home. First, let’s talk about procuring your materials. You likely have an abundance of craft supplies in and around your home!

Collecting Your Art Supplies

In your yard: Leaves, flowers, twigs, acorns, maple “helicopters,” pine cones, grass, moss or lichen (on the ground), and rocks can all be excellent materials for any art project. 

**Bonus -- collecting these items can be an activity all on its own. Go on a scavenger hunt to see how many different colors, shapes, (really any variations you can think of) you can find. Just grab a basket and start exploring!

In your pantry: Dried beans, legumes, rice, pasta, cereal, popcorn, marshmallows.

In your recycling container or trash: toilet paper/paper towel rolls, egg cartons, yogurt containers, empty jars, brown paper bags, newspaper, and cardboard.

Now that you’ve got your supplies, here are a few DIY projects to substitute store-bought materials, further diminishing your craft-related environmental footprint.

Homemade Craft Supplies

Glue: Simply whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 ½ cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp vinegar.

Paint: You can use almost anything as a base for non-toxic, edible paint. Yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, or coconut milk (the thicker style that comes in a can -- just be sure to shake it vigorously before opening). Or if you’d like to use a paint recipe that’s a little less “appetizing,” combine 1 cup salt and 1 cup flour, slowly mix in 1 cup COLD water, and add in the desired amount of food coloring. Pour into a container with a lid, shake before use.

**Pro-tip -- save those empty squeeze bottles (ketchup, mustard, sriracha, etc) to increase ease of use and storage. Need a paint tray? Squirt small amounts of the different colors into an empty egg carton!

Food Coloring: While many folks probably have store-bought food coloring on hand, you likely also have many items in your pantry or refrigerator that can be substituted. Some families also prefer not to use store-bought food coloring due to the concern for artificial dyes and preservatives. Check out this link to this blogger’s recipe for creating pink, yellow, purple, and green food coloring using items such as beets, turmeric, spinach, and blueberries. Making each one takes about 5 minutes, minus cooling times for some of the recipes.

Glitter: Homemade glitter could not be any easier! It won’t have the shimmer and shine of store-bought, but remember -- glitter is essentially tiny shards of plastic. Simply mix a small amount of salt (table or rock salt both work - the finer the salt, the finer the finished product) with a few drops of food coloring of your choice and dry it out for 10-15 mins in a low oven. You can make a range of colors and textures for your kids to experiment with, and it’s SO much easier to clean up!

Playdough: There are so many recipes online for making your own playdough! The best results are those with cream of tartar, which helps to make the dough extra-smooth and pliable, but you don’t have to. Follow TinkerLab’s recipe here, or search for other recipes online.

Now that you are inspired and equipped to ditch the plastic from your kids crafting repertoire, here are a few fun examples using the above materials. We’ve curated some of the best, but a quick online search will lead to many more. So check these out and happy crafting!

Craft Ideas

5 zero-waste craft ideas the kids and the planet will love - includes paper mache, colorful food art, DIY containers, DIY wrapping paper, and leaf painting.
20+ Nature Crafts for Kids - includes a variety of crafts for kids of all ages, including a maple-seed dragonfly!
Mandala Art for Kids - make mandalas using leaves, flowers, colored pasta, or anything else you can find! Includes links to designs to get your creative juices flowing.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Nature Craft - This classic book and its beloved imagery by Eric Carle can be turned into an activity that brings to life the hungry caterpillar and some of the food it eats on its journey to becoming a butterfly.

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​Megan is the Development Associate for Asheville GreenWorks. She was born an environmentalist and continually strives to pass on her love of nature and passion for environmental stewardship on to Amos and Hazel, her wild and wonderful 5yo twins.