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Fun With Paper Bags: Creative Crafts for Kids

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Recycle Those Paper Bags!

Don't toss bags! What better way to teach kids to recycle, than to reuse them for fun crafts projects? Given the chance, most kids are creative and eager to create something awesome with paper products, fabric scraps, cardboard, and more.

You have a choice. Either stuff them in a drawer, or create something fun and useful with them. It takes so little effort to recycle paper. What are you waiting for?

This lens will include tested-and-tried crafts projects, classroom crafts ideas, and lots of good tips from crafters.

Enjoy!

Favorite Paper Crafting Ideas

Classroom favorites!

Find out what works well in a group setting, and how teachers are using paper bags in unit studies. Fun and informative!

1. Panda unit study
2. Under the Sea theme
3. Fall Scavenger Hunt
4. Fireplace (2 brown grocery bags)
5. St. Patrick's Day Potato Head
6. Paper Bag Tree unit
7. Tactile Art
8. Paper Bag Puppets

Share your Ideas

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Learn to Recyle at Home

Practical ideas for the whole family


Set aside a special time each week to brainstorm ways your family can reuse paper bags. If you happen to be a homeschooling family, perhaps you'll come up with a unit study about paper products. Paper can be cut, sliced, diced, woven, twisted, and added to other projects. There are no limitations to what may be created with a simple paper bag that might otherwise have gotten tossed out.

Your list may start out small, but in time you'll come up with fun, imaginative ways to put those grocery bags to good use. Younger children will love creating puppets, and putting on a puppet show. Don't forget hats, scrap-booking embellishments, braided paper chains, or paper necklaces. And remember--half the fun is in the brainstorming.

The Crafty Crow

Like diving into a creative pool head-first

Have you ever run across a website that made you wonder why you'd lived this long and never noticed it there before? Today I was browsing Pinterest, when I came across a colorful heart made of (you guessed it) torn paper scraps. One click later, I found myself at The Crafty Cow with my mouth hanging open.

Why all the hoopla? Well, for starters let me say that it is bright, colorful, and has lots of pics on its entry page. You and I both know that those are intentionally placed there to drag us in deeper. And deeper I went. This crafters' cooperative pools creative ideas from all over the place. This paper collage heart, for example, originally came from a place named Mama's Bear Club House.

Don't take my word for it. The reason you're at this lens is because you are a paper recycler and a craftoholic. Take a look at The Crafty Crow. (I hope the crockpot's on, or you might miss dinner.)

Need Inspiration?

Read this book of paper bag crafting ideas!

Recycling doesn't have to be dry and routine. Here's a book that proves why.
Look What You Can Make with Paper Bags: Over Ninety Pictured Crafts and Dozens of Other Ideas

Look What You Can Make with Paper Bags: Over Ninety Pictured Crafts and Dozens of Other Ideas

Amazon Price: $2.09 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

Recycling isn't difficult. In fact, sometimes it feels seamless, especially when you turn those bags into something brand new. This book is filled to the gills with fun creative ideas the whole family will like. It's proof that with a little imagination and instructions, a simple paper bag can become something fun, functional, and beautiful.

More in the Creative Crafts for Kids series

Check out my other crafts lenses!

I've worked hard to create family-friendly lenses that teach children the fun of recycling. Each lens is carefully crafted around a specific type of material that can easily be turned into fun crafts. Here are a few related lenses to explore.

Stay tuned...more crafting lenses are in the works!
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Summertime Fun

Turn a toddler loose with watercolors and a big brown sack. Watch their eyes - you'll see FUN reflected there.

Leftover Bags

Turn leftovers into something new!

Ask a child whether she'd like pizza or Friday Surprise for lunch, and you can just about guess her response. From a child's viewpoint, Friday Surprise might conjure up images of leftovers smooshed together into an unrecognizable casserole.

Leftovers have gotten a bad reputation, but look again. Recyclables like paper bags are the very best kind of leftovers. Recycling bags is a smart way to take care of our environment while having fun together as a family. In a preschool setting, it's a super way to save money, as well as invite families to become more involved in their child's education.

Children love a good challenge, and if you catch them at a young enough age (three or four), you might be surprised at their level of creativity. Keep a good stock of art tools handy--crayons, paints, and plenty of paper. Add to it glitter, glue, rickrack, fabric swatches, markers, scissors, and scraps of colored paper, and watch those busy hands get to work.

Remember, it's all about the approach.

Paper Crafts Ideas on Amazon

Creative ideas for fun family crafts projects

Wanting to recycle paper into crafts projects is one thing; actually carrying it out is another. Amazon comes to the rescue of clueless crafters with fun, easy-to-follow books that will stir the creative spark. I've selected five favorites on the basis of clear instructions, family-friendly ideas, and crafts that don't take weeks to complete.
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red artsy heart

Have a Heart for Recycling Paper! 

Paper vs. Plastic Bags

Which is better?

Why Paper's No Better Than Plastic
This link attempts to diffuse the myth about paper vs. plastic
Brown Bag Recycling
Think you've thought of everything? Think again.
Ways to Recycle Paper Bags - ehow.com
Tips on putting those paper bags to good use.
How to Rcycle Plastic Grocery Bags
Don't toss those plastic bags!
Handbag from Recycled Paper Bags!
Who would thunk? :)

Make a Paper Bag Puppet

Christian Preschool Crafts: Paper Bag Pumpkin
by ChristianPreschool | video info

3 ratings | 7,813 views
curated content from YouTube

iTunes Kids Songs

Sing along while you craft...

Create a playlist for your iTunes or iPod with fun songs you can listen to while you work on crafts projects. Music has a way of making any day brighter and more fun!

Track Artist Album  
Bingo Countdown Kids 100 All Time Children's Favorites
Hoedown Throwdown Miley Cyrus Hannah Montana: The Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
I've Got a Dream Mandy Moore, Brad Garrett, Tangled Ensemble, Zachary Levi & Jeffrey Tambor Tangled (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
On Top of My Pizza Countdown Kids 100 Hits: Toddler Favorites
Big House Hit Songs Kids Style Kids Sing Top Rock Hits
Sing The Kids Sesame Street: Platinum All-Time Favorites
You Are My Sunshine Countdown Kids 100 Sing-A-Long Favorites (Digital Version)
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
I've Been Working On the Railroad Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
Old MacDonald Had a Farm Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
B-I-N-G-O Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
I'm a Nut Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
Row, Row, Row Your Boat Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
The People On the Bus Countdown Kids 20 Childrens Sing-Along Favorites
S.O.S. Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers
Just Friends Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers
When I See An Elephant Fly (From the movie Dumbo) Kid's Movie Soundtrack Cartoon Movie Hits For Kids
Beyond the Sea (From "Finding Nemo") Animation Soundtrack Ensemble Musical & Movie Music 4 Kids

Turkey Crafts!

FamilyFun: Paper-Bag Turkeys - and More Family Fun
These crafty gobblers will charm young holiday guests
Brown Paper Bag Card Craft - Enchanted Learning Software
Brown Paper Bag Card. Make a Beautiful card from a brown paper bag and some ribbon. Customize it for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays...
Turkey Crafts
General holiday crafts. Prepare a cornucopia at home, or make a pilgrim log cabin.

Spring & Summer Paper Bag Crafts

Fun for the whole family!

Use those paper bags for Easter and other spring crafts. Kids will enjoy recycling old brown bags into something fun and colorful.
Paper Bag Bunny Craft
DLTK's Crafts for Kids: Paper Bag Bunny Craft
Paper Bag Kite
Get ready for a breezy day by making your own homemade kite!
Paper Bag Animals
Create your own paper pets! Cute animals begin with a brown paper bag.
Paper Bag Windsocks
Catch the wind in your pretty creation. It all starts with a paper bag.

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Anytime Projects

Paper bag crafts are year-round fun. Here are projects that don't take long, use simple supplies, and can be customized according to individual ideas and creativity level.

Big Hat Craft - Enchanted Learning Software
Make a Really Big Hat.
Paper Bag Dove Craft
Free printable templates and directions for making a paper bag dove puppet.
Paper Bag Greeting Cards
Your creativity is the only limit...
Colorful Paper Bag Fish
Here's a bright and cheery project!
Egg Carton Flowers
A fun, earth-friendly craft for kids, from supercozy.com
Paper beads
My Mom is visiting & one of the fun benefits for the kids is her excellent memory of the crafts she used to entertain me with when I was a kid in the 70's (that, and endless rounds of "Bataille"/War...

Ten Unique Valentine's Day Paper Crafts

Other Forms of Paper Crafts for Valentine's Day

Valentines are fun to make, and fun to receive, but paper crafts for Valentine's Day can be so much more than just heart cutouts. Here are some colorful crafts from the heart.
Valentine's Day Hat
What's not to love about a cute hat for your Valentine?
Salt Dough Crafts
Make a salt dough heart pin and magnets for Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Barrettes
Make these hair barrettes for yourself or for your sweetie.
Valentine Heart Garden
Make this popup 3-D heart garden!
Colorful Heart Mobile
A great way to use paper plates!
Valentine's Day Paper Craft - How to make a Heart Gift Box
Paper Crafts for Valentine's Day - Paper Heart Gift Box.
Valentine's Day Angel Paper Craft
free printable templates and instructions for a valentine's day angel paper craft with message You Reap What You Sow.
Make a Valentine Flowers Bouquet!
Get crafty with Martha Stewart on marthastewart.com.
Heart Kitty Cat Paper Craft
Directions and printable templates for making a Valentine's Day heart animal.
Love Bug Valentine's Day Craft for Kids
Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids - You'll find lots of fun and easy Valentine Crafts for kids on this page: Valentine Cards, Valentine wall hangings, a Valetine wind sock, a Valentine mobile, and lots of other Valentine gifts.
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Add your favorite paper bag craft...

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1

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Decorative Gift Bags

Make a personalized gift bag for your next party.2 points

2

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Fun With Boxes: Cardboard Crafts for Families

Recyling begins at home in simple ways. You can ei more...2 points

3

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Shopping Paper Bag

The Bag Lab - Custom Promotional Bags. A user-frie more...2 points

4

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Crafts: Kids Paper House Box

Create a paper house box. It can also double as a more...1 point

5

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Paper Bag Monster Pinata Craft - Enchanted Learning Software

A simple-to-make Pinata made from a paper bag and more...1 point

6

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Printable Lunch Bag Crafts - Party Treat Bags

Party loot treat bags - How to design and print yo more...1 point

7

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Indonesia Java International Destination

Indonesia Java International Destination - As the more...1 point

8

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Vintage Messenger Bag

You can find the best vintage messenger bag here - more...1 point

9

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Promotional Plastic Bags

The Bag Lab - Custom Promotional Bags. A user-frie more...1 point

10

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Funky Foam Tote Bag

Funky Foam Tote Bag0 points

11

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Coloring Page | Picture Coloring | Coloring Printable

Welcome in free coloring pages site. In this site more...0 points

12

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Retail Plastic Bags

The Bag Lab - Custom Promotional Bags. A user-frie more...0 points

13

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Custom Plastic Bags

The Bag Lab - Custom Promotional Bags. A user-frie more...0 points

Squidooers Who Recycle Paper Bags

Good ideas to try at home


Squidoo lensmasters are the greatest! I've selected a handful of really good lenses that will spring your creativity into full gear.

How to Reuse Paper Bags
You can reuse them. Recycle them. Turn them into something else.
Paper Bag Puppets
One of the easiest hand puppets to create is the Paper Bag Puppet.Small lunch bags,a little imagination, anda rainy Saturday afternoon......make for a great puppet making day!There is a new resurgence in interest in this time tested puppet craft. It may be due to advertising of online ticket merchan
Learn To Make Gift Baskets - The Use Of Free Printable Paper In Basketing Making
If properly made paper bag baskets & paper baskets could prove to be exciting to make. Take some colored papers, choose a nice pattern and the outcome from twisting and turning the paper would give a paper a new really tasteful appearance.
Tea Bag Folding
Tea bag folding is a paper folding craft developed in Europe. You start with eight squares or tiles and fold each the same than interlock them together into a pie or medallion using a bit of glue. It is similiar to origami in that you use all the basic origami folds such as the boat, the water bomb
Make your own greeting cards
These days we can send greetings to our friends and loved ones with ready-made cards or by email. But somehow, even though this is so easy to do, it is much more fulfilling to send a hand-made card with your own special message. Cards can be made to suit the personality of the person you are sending

Freebies for Paper Crafters!

Check out these free downloads

Crafting is fun, but it does take a lot of supplies if you're going to create something more detailed. These online resources offer free downloads from expert crafters who know the value of each element of a craft project. Have fun exploring the goodies! (I'd love it if you would leave me a comment at the bottom of this lens and let me know what you've made with paper.) Let's start with Craft Clipart, where you'll find a nice variety of crafting downloads, plus links to other crafting sites. Visit their sister site as well--Free Craft Downloads. You'll find free decoupage sheets, tags, templates, and more!

One of my favorite freebie sites offers a free card-making download on a regular basis. It's a fabulous way to use paper to create something beautiful. Visit freecardmaking.com for a great selection!
Another site that'll make your head spin with delight: Free Craft Stuff is a well-organized index that includes not only paper crafts, but a LOT of other types of craft ideas, too.

Free crafting supplies are plentiful online. A simple Google search will locate even more than the ones I've mentioned. Enjoy!

Heard of J.P. Taylor?

J.P. Taylor's music is a mellow mix aimed at inspiring you on your environmental mission.
Visit his website:

http://www.jp-taylor.com/

Take a Poll

Speak up on your recycling habits...

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Ways to Recycle Plastic Bags

Don't Toss - Repurpose!

Amazon has some great books on ways to recycle those wads of paper bags from the grocery store. Rather than toss them in a landfill, consider creative ways to put them to work for you!
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Brown-Bag Treasure Hunt!

Younger children love a treasure hunt and all the more when they're away from home. Pack a supply of brown paper bags (lunch sized bags will work fine). Make a list of items found in nature. Items to find may include: heart-shaped rock, orange leaf, tiny flower, a seed pod.

Colored Pencils




Buy at AllPosters.com

More Ways to Recycle Bags

What to do with those wads of plastic grocery bags...

I grew up in a household that saved nice sturdy boxes, plastic bags, large brown shopping bags, and margarine tubs. After all, you never know when one of those recyclables would come in handy, right?

Why spend money on new wrapping paper if you have a stack of bags on hand? Why buy a play mask when you could create one from a sturdy brown paper bag?

Well, most of us have grown up and discovered that too much Stuff spells stress. In an effort to simplify our lives, we have learned to either re-use or recycle. So, we've talked a bit about ways to use paper bags. What about plastic bags?

At first glance, they may seem useless, other than carrying vegetables from garden to friend, but think again. There's plenty you can do with plastic bags. Here are a few starters:

Make yarn from plastic bags!
Knit a purse
Make a dress
Cute cosmetic bag
Granny Square Motif Bag
Baggie Butterflies

Blogging About Paper Crafts

These bloggers know what they're talking about! Check out their ideas, their photos, and you're sure to find something worth trying.

Paper Crafts Magazine blog
Join Paper Crafts editors in fun crafting projects, tips, and everyday stories of their lives.
New Life for Paper Bag Puppets
The Fandango movie ticket ads have breathed new life into the old paper bag puppet. I love it when some creative genius takes a mundane thing that’s been around for ages and makes me sit up and take notice of it again. The beauty of the puppets is that they are engaging, and yet are entirely low-tec
Stay at Home Mom & Military Wife: Craft of the Week - Paper Bag Puppets
This stay-at-home military wife features a craft every week. Here's a favorite--paper bag puppets.
MAKE: Blog: Paper craft Archives
Archive: Paper craft
August 10, 2006

Halloween Fun

Paper bags to the rescue!

KinderArt's Fun Mask Idea
Follow the instructions at KinderArt and make your own fun mask!
FamilyFun: Halloween Craft: Paper Bag Trees - and More Family Fun
Turn paper bags into gnarled trees for a tabletop Halloween decoration; another great Halloween craft from FamilyFun.com.
- Halloween bookmarks, printable mask, activity book, treat bags.
Free Halloween printables, including bookmarks, treat bags, printable jack o'lantern mask, and printable activity book.
Making Masks for Halloween... or Anytime!
Making your own mask can be as simple or complex as you make it. Here are some suggestions for how to make a mask from paper, using a blank, shaping leather or casting with latex.
Ladybug Costume - EnchantedLearning.com
You can make a Ladybug Costume from a large paper grocery bag.
Paper Bag Mask - Halloween Arts and Crafts - October - KinderArt
Seasonal Arts and Crafts Activities, Lessons, Coloring Pages, Ideas, Recipes, Treats, Special Days and so Much More

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Go back to where you started...

Here's a quick way to jump back to modules you'd like to explore a bit more. Just click and go.
  1. Favorite Paper Crafting Ideas
  2. Share your Ideas
  3. The Crafty Crow
  4. Need Inspiration?
  5. More in the Creative Crafts for Kids series
  6. Summertime Fun
  7. Leftover Bags
  8. Paper Crafts Ideas on Amazon
  9. Have a Heart for Recycling Paper!
  10. Paper vs. Plastic Bags
  11. Make a Paper Bag Puppet
  12. iTunes Kids Songs
  13. Turkey Crafts!
  14. Spring & Summer Paper Bag Crafts
  15. Share the Crafts!
  16. Anytime Projects
  17. Ten Unique Valentine's Day Paper Crafts
  19. Squidooers Who Recycle Paper Bags
  20. Freebies for Paper Crafters!
  21. Heard of J.P. Taylor?
  22. Take a Poll
  23. Ways to Recycle Plastic Bags
  24. Brown-Bag Treasure Hunt!
  25. More Ways to Recycle Bags
  26. Blogging About Paper Crafts
  27. Halloween Fun
  28. Subscribe to my RSS Feed
  29. Leave your footprint...
  30. Twitter Me!
  31. Talking About Recycled Bags

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