During the holiday season, many of us have an overabundance of used wrapping paper, tissue paper and ribbon that ends up in the trash, said Heather Williams, executive director of the Art Explorium.
Williams demonstrates how to use some of that trash to create fun projects for children to celebrate New Year’s Eve. “These two projects teach them the importance of reusing what we have on hand instead of buying more stuff to celebrate the new year,” she said.
These projects are great for older kids as they reinforce math skills and teach children to follow directions. Younger children might require some adult assistance.
“These instructions are just a guideline. We encourage children to put their own creative spin on these projects,” Williams said. “There is a lot of room for innovation, new ideas.”
Earth-Friendly Party Poppers
From holiday-crafts-and-creations.com
Materials
>> 1 empty toilet paper tube
>> Used wrapping paper and tissue paper from holiday gifts (shiny paper is preferred)
>> Used ribbon (preferably curling ribbon)
>> Scissors
>> Tape
>> Pin or needle
>> Embellishments (ribbon, glitter glue, pieces of wrapping paper, etc.)
>> Party favors to put inside the popper (candy, nuts, confetti made out of used paper or ribbon)
>> Markers
Instructions
>> Cut the toilet paper tube in half, creating two shorter tubes.
>> Position the two halves of toilet paper tube together again. Don’t tape together.
>> Cover the toilet paper tube with a piece of wrapping or tissue paper. Leave ends open with 2 inches of extra paper on each end of the tube. Tape paper in center.
>> Tie one end of the tube closed with a ribbon.
>> Fill the tube with confetti made from shredding used wrapping paper or fill with party favors. Tie open end with ribbon.
>> Decorate your popper by drawing or adding embellishments, but don’t glue or tape anything over the center of the tube where the toilet paper roll was cut.
>> To make your popper easier to pop open, use a pin or needle to perforate the paper by poking holes along the center where the tube was cut.
>> Have fun pulling open your Earth-friendly poppers to celebrate the new year.
Earth-Friendly “Sparklers”
From kidscraftroom.com
Materials
>> Shiny used paper: wrapping paper, tissue paper, tinfoil, cellophane
>> Scotch tape
>> Scissors
Instructions
>> Cut a piece of wrapping paper (approximately 6 by 10 inches) and roll up lengthwise into a tight tube (this will be the handle of your sparkler). Tape it so it stays rolled.
>> Cut three sheets of paper (any mix of used holiday paper) into approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Stack the three sheets and fold them in half lengthwise.
>> Cut strips from the open end toward the folded end, but do not cut all the way through the fold.
>> Wrap the folded end of the paper tightly around the end of your handle, securing it periodically with tape.
>> Gently open and spread the individual strips to give your sparkler a pompom effect.
