Earth Day Crafts for Kids: 22 Upcycled Projects Using What You Already Have
Looking for Earth Day crafts for kids that don’t require a shopping trip? This list of 22 upcycled projects from GlueStick uses everyday recyclables—cardboard tubes, egg cartons, bottles, and paper—so you can practice sustainable crafting at home. Each idea is kid-friendly, low-prep, and a great way to teach reusing and recycling through hands-on creativity.
GlueStick was built around a simple idea from our founder: what if kids could get inspired by the supplies already around them—just by snapping a photo?
That’s exactly what GlueStick does.
Snap a photo of what you have. Paper rolls, egg cartons, cereal boxes, scrap paper, buttons, yarn—our system recognizes over 300 different common household items
Get project ideas that fit your supplies. Search for ideas using the supplies you already have, and see at a glance if you have everything you need.
Turn reuse into a habit. Kids learn to look at “recycling” as a creative starting point, not a chore.
Why families love GlueStick’s approach:
It saves money. You’re using what’s already in your home.
It cuts down on last-minute store runs. Especially helpful when you’re short on time.
It builds creative confidence. Kids get to say, “I can make something with this.”
It keeps the mess manageable. When projects start with familiar household supplies, setup and cleanup are simpler.
Make sustainability part of your routine (not a one-off)
Treat the world well.
It was not given to you
By your parents.
It was loaned to you
By your children.
-Kenyan Proverb Inside GlueStick, you’ll find projects that naturally support sustainable habits all year:
Upcycling projects using cardboard, paper rolls, cartons, and packaging
Seasonal crafts that reuse what you already have on hand
STEM builds that teach problem-solving without disposable kits
If you want sustainable crafting to be more than an Earth Day activity, GlueStick helps you turn it into a year-round rhythm—creative, affordable, and better for the planet.
Ready to craft with what you already have? Create your GlueStick account and let your kids discover what’s possible with a single photo and a few everyday supplies.
Sustainable crafts: what to save in your recycling bin
Pick a category below, grab what’s already in your recycling bin, and search for projects in GlueStick with just the snap of a photo. One subscription gives your whole family access to hundreds of creative, confidence-building activities—without the single-use packaging or expense of one-time kits.
Our favorite sustainable materials include:
Cardboard tubes and toilet paper rolls
Egg Cartons
Bottles and Cans
Old Clothing
Packing Materials
We keep a stash of these on hand at all times for quick and easy crafting all year round.
Cardboard tubes and toilet paper rolls
Cardboard tubes are a sustainable crafter’s dream material. There are an infinite number of creative ways to reuse them. Whether you’re upcycling them into toys, home decor, or home organization solutions, we know your kids will love making these recycled projects their own. GlueStick has a ton of creative uses for Toilet Paper Tubes and Cardboard Tubes. Here are a few of our favorites:
Age range: 3 - 10 | Time: 15 - 60 minutes
Turn empty toilet paper tubes and a tissue box into a tidy crayon organizer—great for building independence and keeping art supplies accessible.
Author: STL Motherhood
Age range: 3 - 10 | Time: 20 - 40 minutes
A classic upcycle: kids design and build their own cardboard tube car with recycled lid wheels.
Author: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Age range: 3 - 10 | Time: 30 - 45 minutes
A cheerful ocean friend made from a tube—perfect for cutting practice and imaginative play. All you need is a scissors, a cardboard tube, and some paint or markers!
Age range: 3 - 10 | Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Robots are a go-to Earth Day win: reuse, invent, and let kids make “junk” feel magical. We made ours with paint pens and cardboard tubes, but you paint them or cover them with decorative paper to make them your own.
Age range: 3 - 8 | Time: 15 - 20 minutes
A sweet woodland craft that’s quick, approachable, and great play for younger kids. All you need is a cardboard tube, some, construction paper or craft foam, and googly eyes!
Author: STL Motherhood
Age range: 5 - 10 | Time: 20 - 30 minutes
A bright spring flower made from a cardboard tube and tissue paper—great for seasonal decor and developing fine-motor skills.
Author: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Age range: 3 - 10 | Time: 10 - 20 minutes
Reuse tubes to make glowing lanterns—kids get a big “wow” moment with just a toilet paper tube, wax paper, tape, and markers.
Author: Taylor Boley
Age range: 5 - 12 | Time: 5 - 10 minutes
A playful STEM build that turns a toilet paper tube into a launcher (and helps burn the kids’ energy indoors or out). This simple project needs just three supplies and is sure to have the whole family laughing and experimenting.
Egg cartons
When we started crafting with egg cartons, our household started eating a lot more eggs! They are an incredibly fun and versatile material to work with. There are five egg carton crafts in GlueStick at the time of posting, but we’ve got plans to upload so many more. Do you have ideas for this phenomenal material that you want to share? Join our Activity Author program and get paid for your contributions!
Age range: 5 - 12 | Time: 10-30 minutes
Turn egg cartons into adorable animal “portraits” kids can hang up. Foxes, badgers, geese, pigs - there are so many possibilities in a single carton.
Age range: 3-7 | Time: 10-30 minutes
A springy Earth Day craft that turns a big egg carton into a beehive and bumble bee. This upcycled craft is a perfect compliment to a lesson plan about the importance of pollinators.
Author: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Age range: 3 - 12 | Time: 15-25 minutes
A simple, practical upcycle: use an egg carton as tiny seed starting pots and teach kids how plants grow.
Bottles and cans
Age range: 6 - 12 | Time: 15-30 minutes
Turn empty soda cans into sparkling plant stakes. This upcycle makes a great Mother’s Day gift, but does require adult supervision. Cut aluminum cans have sharp edges, so wear gloves and be careful!
Age range: 6 - 12 | Time: 10-20 minutes
Use cans and string to explore sound waves while reusing materials. This upcycled STEM project is a classic for a reason! Get kids really thinking and experimenting by having them swap out different types of string or size cans.
Author: STL Motherhood
Age range: 3 - 12 | Time: ~5 minutes
An active indoor game made from plastic bottles with easy setup and lots of replay value. This game gives your recycling bin a second chance at fun!
Age range: 5 - 10 | Time: 20-30 minutes
Turn an empty soda bottle and a laundry detergent cap into a rocket toy kids will love playing with. What other upcycled materials can they incorporate into their designs?
Author: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Clothing
Upcycled clothing never goes out of style, and there are so many ways for kids to craft their own sustainable styles. But, old clothes can get turned into far more than just wearable art. We’ve put three of our favorite projects below, but we’re always adding new t-shirt, sock, and other sustainable project ideas.
Age range: 5 - 12 | Time: 5-15 minutes
Upcycle old t-shirts into braided dog toys. Kids can make one for their own pup or donate to a shelter.
Age range: 5 - 10 | Time: 10-15 minutes
A fun dress-up upcycle: transform an old t-shirt into a construction vest using duct tape and scissors. This craft proves that sustainable making can be fun!
Age range: 6 - 12 | Time: 15-45 minutes
Give lonely socks a second life as puppet friends, perfect for storytelling and homemade puppet shows.
Paper and packaging materials
See how sustainable creative time can be when you reuse milk jugs, packaging materials, and magazines in innovative ways. These sustainable kids crafts are sure to keep them busy on Earth Day, a rainy day, or on a day off of school.
Age range: 5 - 12 | Time: 20-45 minutes
A textured card craft that reuses bubble wrap as a stamp. This sustainable process art craft teaches kids to look at disposable materials in new ways.
Age range: 3 - 12 | Time: 15-60 minutes
Turn milk cartons into whimsical fairy houses using natural “found” materials like sticks, leaves, and rocks.
Author: STL Motherhood
Age range: 3 - 12 | Time: 10-30 minutes
Make a DIY jigsaw puzzle from an old magazine image—then solve it again and again
Age range: 3 - 12 | Time: 20-45 minutes
A bright window craft using a recycled milk jug. Kids make butterflies that “glow” when hung in sunlight. There’s no better way to make a recycled craft shine!
Author: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Ready to start your kids’ sustainable crafting journey?
If your recycling bin is full, you’re already holding a craft supply stash. GlueStick helps you turn those “save it for later” materials into real projects your kids can do with confidence—step by step, ad-free, and designed for ages 3–12. Download GlueStick today and let your kids snap a photo of what you already have, find a project that fits your supplies, and start making something they’re proud of. One subscription gives your whole family access to hundreds of creative, confidence-building activities—without the single-use packaging or expense of one-time kits.
