You may have been saving up a collection of bottles to bring to an appropriate recycling location, but here’s an even better idea: reuse them for an art craft! In this focused art lesson, learn about some things you and your kids can make out of reused materials with these glass bottle crafts.
1. Vases: simple glass bottle crafts
A vase is a great thing to make out of a bottle with a smaller neck. Make sure your bottle is clean and label-free, then, start decorating! Try painting the outside, then wrapping twine around the bottom and neck of the bottle. This will make it look a little more artsy than just plain painted. If your kids want to personalize it, they can paint a flower or their name on the side. Or, they could even wrap the vase completely with twine and then glue on decorations of their choice. If you don’t have twine, try yarn, as used by this Pinterest craft idea.
Another vase design idea is for your kids to make a design with tape on a bottle, then paint over it. When your kids take the tape off, their design will stand out among the colour! Use a Q-Tip dipped in nail polish remover to clean up the edges if the paint seeps under the tape at all. Here is a sample on Pinterest.
2. Decorative bottle crafts
You can really get creative with making decorations out of bottles. A lot of decorative bottles could double as vases, but not all! Try pouring paint into a bottle, then pour the excess out. Here is a slideshow on how to paint glass.
This is something you would not want to keep a living plant in, but it makes a pretty decoration! You could even try marbling the paint by pouring two colours into the bottom, then slowly tilting and rotating it to get a multi-coloured design.
3. Nightlight bottle craft
Paint noctilucent (glow-in-the-dark) powder mixed with a little bit of water on the inside of your bottle. This will turn it into a fun night light for your kids! You can also put lights inside bottles as another idea. Here is a sample.
4. Practical dish soap dispenser
This glass bottle craft is fun for your kids, and you get something useful out of it too! The best kind of bottle for this is a clear, empty wine bottle. You will have to purchase a bottle pourer or soap dispenser pump for this one, but it will still be cheaper than purchasing a brand new dish soap dispenser (plus it will be more unique and personalized!). You can either make a stencil so that your bottle will have a “dish soap” label, or your kids can decorate it any way they want. Here is how one home crafter did it.
5. Terrarium
This fun glass bottle craft can also be turned into a science lesson. You will need to find some plants, soil, charcoal, and rocks to put inside. Then, have your kids follow these steps as created by www.thenotepasser.com . They will have a really cool, educational decoration! Have your kids research about the different plants they are using, or tell them interesting facts as they work. For example, tell them the charcoal is necessary so mold doesn’t grow. This could lead to a discussion on what mould is, or on different plant environments.
Have fun reusing and recycling with these fun glass bottle crafts. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add your own touch to these suggestions!
For extra credits!
Here are more bottle crafts we found on Pinterest for you to try! Many of these will require adult supervision or teacher prep time, so be careful kids!
Make hanging lamps out of bottles:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17521886025058067/
Make a shelf out of bottles:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17521886020361295/
Make candle lights out of bottles:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17521886020263937/
Make lamp stands out of bottles:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17521886020242024/
Collect bottles to make a glass Christmas tree next year:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17521886020142391/
Make centerpiece designs out of bottles:
