Art Project for Kids: Recycled Robots

When craft supplies are desperately low, that's when we decide to raid the recycling bin, dig deep in the craft cupboards and ransack my sewing box for scraps.

The last we did this, we came up with armloads of things to use! But what could we make with all these bits? The answer was simple: robot hats! 

What You'll Need

• Paper sacks
• Bits from the recycling bin (we used bubble wrap)
• Fabric scraps
• Paint and brushes
• White glue
• Pompoms
• Googly eyes
• Pipe cleaners
• Stapler

How It's Made

Cut a rectangular-shaped hole in the front of the paper sack to allow for unhindered viewing and breathing when the kids place them on their heads. Then I provided them with brightly coloured tempera paint and brushes, and they got to work straight away.

Each of the girls painted their own sack in the colours they chose. This part of the process was so enjoyable to watch as the girls mixed their colours and designed their robot's "skin."

We let the sacks dry while we ate our snack and then came back to the creative table armed with glue and fresh supplies. The girls glued on some eyes, and all the other little bits we gathered, to make some great robots.

I wrapped a pompom in each pipe cleaner and stapled it to the top of each side of the sack for antennae. The robots were dry and ready for wearing after nap time, and boy, were they worth the wait! 

The girls put them on, and suddenly they were transported into a whole new realm of imagination. There was a lot of giggling, and much conversation — all in choppy, mechanic robot voices! Even their physical movements became jerky and mechanical. Such fun!