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Whatever the weather, a summer afternoon can be well spent at home, with little to no cost making use of a well-stocked craft box and a selection of recycling. Keep your little ones and their friends entertained for hours. (with a little adult supervision for the trickier steps!) These fun recycled crafts can just as easily be transported to the kitchen island or dining table if the weather takes a turn. Just make sure to cover your surfaces with newspaper or wipeable oilcloth, throw the windows open for extra ventilation and make sure you have art aprons or old shirts to hand

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Juice carton bird feeder
  • Wash and dry your chosen cardboard carton then using a craft knife or scissors, cut out an opening on either side to form your bird entrances.
  • Decorate the outsides with non-toxic paints, colourful paper, sequins, buttons and stickers.
  • Break up small twigs or use lolly pop sticks to glue on to the top of both sides of the carton to create a roof.
  • Cut a small hole or hole punch below the entrance openings and secure a lolly stick or twig to create a bird perch.
  • Do the same at the top of the carton, to tie through twine to suspend your feeder in the garden.
  • Fill with good quality bird seed and enjoy your feathery garden visitors all year round!
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Egg carton plant pots
  • Cut up an empty cardboard egg box so each cup is separated.
  • Choose your seeds (vegetables and herbs work well) then write the chosen plant on the side of the carton in crayon or pen.
  • Fill each cardboard cup with a small amount of potting compost and pop in a seed covering lightly with more soil.
  • Add a little water and place by a bright and warm window, so you can all enjoy your seeds sprouting over the coming weeks.
  • Once the plants become too big for the pots, transfer them into the garden, planting the entire cup which will decompose in the ground.
  • If you don’t have any egg boxes to hand, a finished loo roll stuffed with a little newspaper or empty citrus rinds such as half an orange, work well too.
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Tin can windchime
  • Clean, de-label and dry your chosen empty tin cans of varying sizes, making sure to tape around the cut edge which can be sharp.
  • Decorate the dry cans with paintbrushes, non-toxic paints, glitter and buttons.
  • Once dry, use a sharp tool to punch a small hole through the bottom of each tin and thread through garden twine.
  • Knot the twine on either side of the hole then tie a small bolt, chunky rock or bottle top to the twine inside of the can.
  • Arrange the tins so they sit at different lengths then tie a knot in the loose twine ends, looping it through a metal hook. If you prefer you could tie them closely together directly on to your chosen surface i.e. tree branch, pergola, washing line etc.
  • Move the cans around the garden to find the perfect windy spot and experiment with different chimes for an orchestra of lovely sound.

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