Earth Day is a perfect time to think of new ways to use old materials around the house, and with social distancing keeping everyone at home, many people now have the time to learn some new crafts or start a science project. If you need Earth-friendly inspiration for your next project, the Bedford Library has you covered with some of our online resources.
Creative Bug is an excellent source for hands-on creative hobbies, and it’s a perfect place to search for upcycling projects. Since our reusable totes are currently off limits at the grocery store, we’ve all been collecting an ever-expanding wad of plastic shopping bags. A video tutorial on Creative Bug shows you how to make “plarn” (plastic yarn) with these bags, then knit or crochet them into other objects (maybe more bags!). It’s also likely you have a big pile of cardboard from online order deliveries; using another Creative Bug tutorial you can take some paint and turn those cardboard scraps into fun mobiles and wall hangings. Other fun Creative Bug projects using scraps and discards from around your house include a T-shirt trivet, wine cork crafts, and yarn scrap earrings.
The Bedford Library also has online resources if you’re looking for recycled projects to do with your kids. On Hoopla Digital you can borrow crafting and science eBooks for children. Look up the Ready-Made Recycling Series for projects like paper roll zoo animals, or the Green Steam series for earth-friendly engineering and tech projects. Or simply search “recycling” under children’s eBooks to find quality titles with craft ideas. Kids can also go into World Book through the library databases to find different activities. Type “recycle” into the search bar and find instructions on how to create a soda bottle terrarium or how to make your own paper from the paper scraps in your house.
Two more eBooks in our collection to take a look at include Eco-Friendly Crafting with Kids by Kate Lilley (Available on CloudLibrary) and Upcycling Celebrations by Danny Seo (Available on Overdrive/Libby)
Happy Earth Day, and happy crafting!