A Full Week of Crafts Using Only Recycled Materials
Five days of craft club activities that use exclusively recycled and donated materials. No budget needed beyond a few basics. Send a list home two weeks ahead and the materials arrive.
Club Guides
Ages 4–11EasyAny
Watch on YouTube
Search: "recycled material craft ideas kids week school holiday club" — video tutorials from popular craft channels
How to do it
- SEND HOME LIST: cereal boxes, toilet/kitchen roll tubes, egg cartons, yoghurt pots, foil trays, lids, fabric scraps, buttons, old magazines.
- DAY 1 — Junk modelling: robots, vehicles, animals from collected packaging.
- DAY 2 — Collage: cut and layer magazine images, foil, fabric.
- DAY 3 — Nature weaving: sticks and wool with found natural materials.
- DAY 4 — Newspaper hats and architectural models (bridges, towers from newspaper).
- DAY 5 — 'Best of the week' — children choose their favourite project to complete or display.
💡 Tips
The only purchased materials needed: masking tape (£1 roll), PVA glue (£3 for 1L), paint (optional). Everything else is donated. This is also a fantastic sustainability / RE lesson hook.
Books and materials
Convenience links for everything mentioned above. We link to Amazon — LessonKind may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Recycled craft books
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E Eco Craft — Clare Youngs
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M Making Eco Crafts — Inga Lockington
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U Upcycled Crafts — Charlotte Farmer