Lots of eco/green art ideas and free games which teach children to respect the waste resources and planet around them.

Make your own unique envelopes….

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…….. from recycled paper or card.

Here is how you do it:

  • Find an A4 page from a magazine which you have read or perhaps an old A4 flyer.
  • Print our Sussex Green Living envelope template* and then cut around the solid red lines.
  • Lay the template on your A4 magazine/recycled sheet and draw around the template.
  • Cut it out and then fold where you see the dotted lines on the template.
  • Stick the two edges with some glue.
  • Attach a small white address label and write on the name and address you want to send it to.
  • Now you have a recycled envelope which is unique to you!

It is as simple as that.

* To download your Sussex Green Living envelope template all you need to do is register in the Members’ Zone here, you will be emailed a password, then you can access lots of free members downloads additional site pages, content and free resources only available to members.  Go for it join this Green network now!

Upcycling – Knitting Plastic Bags!

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With the best will in the world we still all manage to accumulate plastic bags! Here is a simple and brilliant idea for recycling them into a stylish home-knitted, eco bag!

You will need:

  • All the plastic bags under your sink (For a medium size knitted shopping bag you will need about 20 supermarket sized carrier bags)
  • Scissors
  • Knitting needles

What to do:

Make sure the bags have no holes or tears. Cut off the handles to leave the body of the bag

  • Start cutting the bag from the top in a 3cm wide strip, going in a spiral as if you were peeling an apple. You will end up with one big long strip of plastic 3cm wide
  • This strip is now your strand of wool. Tie it on one end of an 8mm knitting needle.
  • Cast on, knit and cast off as you would with wool. When you reach the end of a piece of plastic, tie a new piece on to it and continue knitting
  • Knit a rectangle of ‘fabric’ to the size you want. Fold it over into a bag shape and sew the sides using thin strips of carrier bag instead of thread. Make the stitches tight to make the bag strong!
  • Knit shoulder straps or handles by knitting two long, thin strips (about 4 stitches across is a good width)
  • Attach the straps using plastic thread again

Voila! You have your very own stylish, home-knitted eco bag for free! Why not try other projects? Mobile phone covers, shoulder handbags or even vegetable bags in different colours.

Interesting Facts

  • PLARN = plastic yarn
  • Supermarket plastic bags are strong and can hold between 15 and 20kg

For more information about recycling in Sussex check this site out!

Egg Cup Creatures

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These are really easy to make!

Age: 5 and up

 

 

 

 

 

Let your imagination run wild when making these cute little egg cup creatures. Children can use whatever colours they like to create their own fun designs!

This green art is free and upcycles egg boxes.

What you’ll need:

  • Cardboard egg box
  • Scissors
  • Paints
  • Pipe cleaners, any colours will do
  • Craft knife, small scissor, or sharp pencil
  • White craft glue
  • Medium and large pom-poms
  • Wiggle eyes

How to make it:

  1. Have an adult cut egg cups out of egg carton. Paint in various colours of your choice and let dry, see photo.
  2. While egg cups are drying, create insect wings by cutting and bending pipe cleaners into various different shapes, see photo.
  3. Have an adult use a small scissor, sharp pencil, or craft knife to poke a hole in each side of the egg cup, insert wings into the holes. If you want the wings farther back on the body, poke the holes closer together, see photo.
  4. Turn egg cup upside down and bend ends of pip cleaners against the side of the cup to help hold them in place, see photo.
  5. Using two large pom-poms for heads or one medium pom-pom for bulging eyes, glue them to the fronts of the egg cups, see photo.
  6. Use pipe cleaners for legs and antennae. Antennae can be glued right to the pom-pom head. Legs can be inserted in the sides of the egg cup in the same fashion as the wings.
  7. Glue on wiggle eyes on the pom-poms to complete the face.

Tips:

  1. You can decorate your insects even more by adding polka dots. Just dip the handle end of a paintbrush into a contrasting colour of paint and dot on.
  2. Foam egg cups can be used as well, but the cardboard soaks up the paint better though.
  3. Coloured wiggle eyes are available at your local craft supply store.

Have fun, enjoy!

 

Preparing for Earth Hour!

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Preparing for Earth Hour!

Tonight hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite each year to support the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour.

More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.  You can learn more about Earth Hour here. There are loads of fun games for children here too.

Here at Sussex Green Living HQ we are having a candlelit fondue with friends to mark the occasion.

We are currently recycling old candles and making some Earth candles to mark the occasion. All you need to do is:

Find a container which some food came in from the supermarket or an old flower pot.

Fill it with soil and push a tennis ball into the soil to make a round indentation.  Using a stick make 3 little channels in the bottom which will act as feet to your Earth candle.

Met down old candles and try to recover the old wicks or make or buy some new wick.

Then pour your liquid wax into the Earth indentation putting the wick in the middle.  You might need to top up the wax as it seeps into the surrounding Earth.

Leave it to dry and firm up, then remove the new Earth candle from the soil, give it a little dust off but making sure some Earth is still left on.  And hey presto you have yourself some lovely recycled Earth candles.

Turn off all your lights to mark Earth Hour and commit to lasting action for the planet to turn around climate change.   Enjoy.  Photos to follow tomorrow!