Recycled Art

One of the most satisfying ways to make art, is to use materials that are considered trash-- and turn them into something new! There are many items that can be recycled and used for an art project. The key is to look at the contents of your recycle bin with a creative eye. The best items to reuse will be clean (not in need of a wash or a soak), made of glass, metal or cardboard. Below are some project ideas to inspire you. 
Top left: Hot glue mania with recycled items and misc. plastic toys. A bit much for a wall, yes. But a fun idea for a bookcase, canvas, window frame.
Top middle: Recycled egg cartons never looked so pretty! A little cutting and painting goes a long way.
Top right: We love the idea of using newspaper or recycled magazines to create collage and unique art pieces.
Tin Foil art lesson: This is an easy way for kids to create "action figures". They can also take the project an extra step and create paper clothes for their sculpture. Or, create an entire town!
Maze: We offered this maze lesson to our middle school students and it was a big hit! Using straws, recycled cardboard and toilet paper rolls-- kids can create a hand-held marble maze. We recommend using hot glue to secure pieces onto the cardboard base-- but regular glue works fine too as long as it fully dries before use.
Bottom Left: These unique masks were made from egg cartons! How creative!!
Bottom middle: Don't throw away glass jars!! They have so many uses! Just check out pintrest for fresh ideas.