Recycled Treasures - How to make a newspaper Pirate Hat and Patch!

Ahoy!

Our momstown theme for the month of November is Pirates and Princesses.  With that in mind we decided to have some pirate fun at our momstown Milton Recycled Treasures group, making pirate garb out of recycled things around the house.

Our little buccaneers created pirate hats from newspaper, and eye patches from scraps from our craft scraps bin.  For some moms and dads, folding the hat was just like riding a bicycle - they hadn't done it in a while, but it came back to them like it was yesterday!  For others, it was complicated origami!

Once the hats were folded, the kids got painting!  We used foam brushes, and everyone chose their own colour to paint with.  It is always fun to see the little ones painting and having fun creating.

We used glue or tape to add on a skull and cross bones - no pirate hat is complete without the "jolly roger".  

While our hats dried, we started on our patches.  The patches had been cut from used pieces of craft foam, and extra string that was in our craft bin.  We used stickers to decorate the patches for a simple but colourful craft that the kids had fun making.

It was fun to see the kids model their creations!  These were two really simple crafts, but what we have seen many times at Recycled Treasures is that  crafts don't need to be complicated in order to spark the imagination or creativity of kids.  The beauty of a simple craft is that it can be done quickly, with minimal parental involvement - the more that a child can do for themselves, the better.  The best crafts are the wonky, imperfect, funny creations made by little hands. Our model pirate in the first photo above proves that point perfectly!  

Great job, little crafters!

momstown is proud to offer programs based on our 6 Program Pillars.  If you haven't had the pleasure of attending Recycled Treasures with your child, we would love to see you out at a group soon!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here 

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two amazing girls.

Creating Picture Frames with Recylced Materials at momstown Milton!

Our Recycled Treasures group is a popular event with the mamas and kids of momstown Milton.  Our momstown monthly theme for June was Shapes, so our craft was picture frames made out of recycled items of various shapes.

Materials Used:

- cardboard, cut into frames
- paint, brushes, glue and tape
- bottle caps - representing a circle
- small rectangles cut from tetra paks
- squares of tissue paper
- triangles cut from scraps of previous crafts
- stars (cut with a star punch) cut from magazines
- fancy string, recycled from Christmas
- a special 4X6 photo for each child

Our picture frames were rectangles, cut from heavy cardboard boxes.  The kids first painted them with brushes, sponges, and even kitchen scrubbies.

                           

 Once the frames were painted, the little recyclers embellished them with their choice of decorations.  

The photos were taped onto the back of the frames, and they were done!   They were SO proud of their creations!  Some were made as special Father's Day gifts, and some were going home to be hung in the kids' bedrooms.

 

All of the fun Recycled Treasures crafts are made by items that would otherwise go into the recycling bin.  After just a couple weeks of saving, it is amazing to see the potential projects that emerge.  We have a spot in the basement where our recycled items go that will one day become fun crafts.  If you get into the habit of saving things like birthday cards, twist ties, tetra packs, interesting pieces of ribbon, yogurt containers, etc., there is always something fun to do on a rainy day.  The possibilities are endless!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here 

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two amazing girls.

momstown MIlton Kids learning to use recycled materials for craft projects!

It is amazing what great things you can find in your recycling bin!  Our momstown Milton mamas and kids had a wonderful time exploring and painting using recycled materials for crafts from the Blue Bin at our Recycled Treasures program.

We used plastic bottles, paper tubes, left over Easter grass, Christmas tinsel, corks, and the spongy wrap that protects Asian pears in the supermarket.  All of these different finds made for some fun exploration with paint on a beautiful spring morning!

We spread out some craft paper on the fence and attached it with masking tape, and also had paper out on a play table for kids who preferred painting on a surface.  The little ones had a great time choosing from the variety of tools and bright paint colours.  

Soon we had a beautiful abstract painting and lots of messy kids!  Everyone was proud of their creations, and enjoyed seeing the different shapes that the different objects made on the paper.

 

Some of the little artists discovered that the plastic bottles created a flower on the paper, and then added colourful centres with the corks.  They made some beautiful paintings! 

Our Recycled Treasures morning eventually became a fun playdate, with some kids concentrating on painting while others preferred the sand box, pool, or snack table.  It was a relaxed and fun morning for the kids and moms alike.  It is so wonderful to discover new, easy and inexpensive ways to be creative with children.  

Thanks for coming out, everyone!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

 

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two amazing girls.