Fun With Cans: Creative Crafts for Kids

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So Many Cans, So Little Time!

Most households have plenty of cans. Soup cans, veggie cans, spaghetti sauce, fruits. Add to the list other canned products--pet foods & coffee, for instance, and you have enough cans to start a small crafting supplies corner.

Remember when people used to just toss cans into a plastic garbage bag, to be hauled away on trash pickup day? Can you imagine all the creative opportunities we missed along the way? Cans are the starting point for fun kids' crafts, so stick around.

Together we'll explore common and not-so-common ways to turn trash into creative arts and crafts projects. We'll find ways to recycle cans into something brand-new. Enjoy!




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4 Steps Towards Crafting with Cans

Why cans?
Well, why not?

Cans are a big part of our lives. If you don't think so, check your pantry What do you see?


I'd like to say I cook only with fresh foods (uncanned), but it's simply not true. Certain canned items are a convenience in many dishes I make. They're easy to store and handy to keep in the pantry. I suspect many of you busy families out there feel the same. So, what do you do after you've dumped the kidney beans into your crockpot full of simmering chili? Toss 'em or clean 'em? I vote for cleaning, drying, and tossing them in the recycle bin...but it's even better to find ways to create fun crafts with your children or, if you're a teacher, with your students. Here's why:

1. Cans are durable.
2. Cans come in many sizes.
3. Cans are a good starting point for a variety of crafts projects.
4. Cans are happiest when they're re-used.

Take One Used Tuna Can... 

Tuna sandwiches. Tuna casserole. Tuna is a part of our lives. But those cans...what can you do with a can that small? Here are a few ideas from creative types out there.

1. Make a pin cushion. Fill the clean tuna can with polyester fiberfill like the kind your grandma stuffs pillows with. Hot blue a fabric scrap over the top. Wrap a ribbon around the can to pretty it up and there you have it. (Note: I'm not too sure about this one. What do you think? Pins probably wouldn't stick in cottony fiberfill...would they?) Hey, I don't make this stuff up, I just report the news.

2. Use a tuna can for paints when your young children sit at the crafts table. It doesn't tip over as easily as a glass, and is easy for little hands to reach.

3. Feed your kitties with it. It's a perfectly good water dish as long as you wash it well in hot, soapy water first.

4. Wrap it in a pretty adhesive-backed paper that you buy in rolls. Use it on a desk for paperclips, rubberbands, or candy.

5. Hot glue several cans together by their bottom side. Voila! It's a candle holder.

Tin Can Crafts & More... 

Don't toss those cans! Reuse them. Here are plenty of ideas to keep you & your children busy for days on end. Great for classroom projects, too.

Let's Get Started! 

So, you think you're disorganized, hmmm? Can't locate a pen that works, or a pair of scissors within ten minutes? Well, think again. If you've been using the excuse that you're too disorganized to be creative, I hope you'll reconsider the fun you're missing with the children in your life.

You might be surprised to learn that disorganization sometimes brings out the creative side in people, especially when we finally face the fact that it's actually fun and time-saving to organize our Stuff. Maybe it's time to declutter?

As you toss and box up usable items, look for supplies that can be turned into fun crafts projects. Gather your clean, recycled cans, but think of a variety of other recyclables that could be worked into something artsy and fun.

Crafts made with recycled cans are fun to make throughout the year. Think of ideas you can create on your own, too. Kids have fun coming up with one-of-a-kind crafts, so keep plenty of supplies on hand, and turn their ingenuity loose!

Make a Christmas Tree
Hang onto those SODA CANS. Here's a fun holiday craft from About.com!
Make a time capsule!
Here's an idea for New Year's--a fun way to use a COFFEE CAN.
Candy Containers
Put those clean TUNA CANS to good use!
Herb Pots
Kids will love growing their own herbs, in reused TIN CANS.
Halloween Cat
Just in time for Halloween: a cute black cat formed around a recycled can. Perfect!
Scrap Pencil Holder
A fabric scrap-covered can makes a pretty and useful gift! See more fabric crafts at Fun with Fabric: Crafts Ideas for Families.
Tin Can Turkey
Another great idea from Kaboose.com!

Before You Toss That Label... 

Take a look...

Listen up.
Those labels you peel off cans might just look like scrap paper, but hold on. You might be surprised to find how some recyclers are donating them for good causes.

Campbell's Labels for Education is a good reason to think twice before tossing out labels. Read all about it in the following links. It could be a great project for your family or school!

Forums!
Join in discussions about Campbell's Labels for Education
Collection Sheets (download link)
Here's where you'll find the official collection sheets for CLE's labels program.
Want to sign up?
Enroll your school! Get your friends and teachers involved.
Which products are eligible?
Campbell's Labels for Education program provides a list of eligible products to look for when you shop.
Details! Details!
Read all about the program. It's all here.
How to Clip & Save
What do you do and how do you do it? More details, once you begin the program.

An Artist Who Creates from Trash 

Someone's trash is truly another person's treasure

People the world over are finding ways to re-use trash. Artists in particular are coming up with some amazing uses for ordinary cans. Perhaps one of the most unique body of work is H.A. Schult's "trash people," which have been described as "haunting".

Schult's exhibit has traveled the world. Made of cans, castoff computer parts, and anything else deemed worthy of including, these sculptures work hand-in-hand with a projector. The projector is placed behind what looks like a heap of connected trash, and that's where the amazement begins.

Images of people spring to life on a nearby wall--people crouching, sitting, celebrating, and thinking. It goes to show you that the potential for art is everywhere--even from the trash bin.

Test Your Memory 

How much do you know about the history of canning?

What does Napoleon Bonaparte have in common with Nicholas Appert, and where does Peter Durand fit in to the story of canning?

Discover all you thought you knew (but didn't) about the history of food preservation.

But what about home canning? When did it come about, and who in the world was John L. Mason? Hmmm?
Give up?

More Crafting with Cans 

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20 Essential Crafts Suppies to Keep on Hand


If you're seriously thinking about finding crafty ways to re-use those cans, you'll want to stock a lidded container with additional odds 'n ends that can be used for projects. Keep an eye out for sales at supply stores. Supplies don't have to be expensive, either; that's the fun of crafting! Finding a good bargain is half the challenge.

Start with this list of basic items, and add specialty supplies as you plan certain projects. Get your children involved as much as possible. It's a good way to teach budgeting, wise shopping habits, as well as let them feel like a part of the entire project from beginning to end.



1. scissors
2. glue stick or paste
3. construction paper
4. fabric scraps
5. yarn or string
6. craft sticks
7. recycled thread spools
8. colored tissue paper
9. recycled gift wrap
10. dry pasta
11. dry beans
12. markers or crayons
13. paint (non-staining)
14. poster board
15. cardboard scraps
16. glitter or stars
17. pretty ribbon
18. buttons
19. elastic
20. paper bags

 

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