How to Make a Super Cool Castle Using Recyclables

You're at home and perhaps, if you're fortunate, you have some paper towel or toilet paper. 

And if you've got a busy household, you're probably going through it — no Jeremy, you don't have to use 10 squares at a time. 

But all this paper usage means you have recycling, and you know what that means! Well, you don't, but I'm going to tell you: it's time for the kids to make castles out of the recycling. 

CBC Kids' resident Studio K monster — Makeup Monster — has created this castle with his big and fuzzy, four-fingered paws. So, if he can do it, maybe you can, too? It doesn't hurt to try! 

Here's what you're going to need:

• A selection of colourful construction paper
• A variety of cardboard tubes — think toilet paper, paper towel or whatever you have 
• Some markers and a pencil 
• Scissors
• One small bowl and one large bowl (depending on the size of roof you want!)
• Scotch tape
• Some decorative tape — but even masking tape or painter's tape will work just fine
• Straws or toothpicks (Makeup Monster used paper straws)

To start, grab a pencil and trace the lip of a bowl. You do this by flipping the bowl upside down on to a piece of construction paper. 

Once you have your circle outline, it's time to cut it out. If your kid is too young to use scissors, this is where you help out!

Now it's time to make the cone-shaped roof for your castle towers! To do that, start by cutting a slit down the centre of the circle — but make sure not to cut it in half. Try cutting just a bit more than halfway down the middle.

Now that you have this opening, take the left side and start feeding it underneath the right side, until you have the shape of a cone.

Once your cone is looking how you want it, use tape to keep it together! You'll see a point on top. And you're going to want to leave a little opening for the flag, so if you see a little hole at the top, that's OK!

For the tower, there are many options. You can use construction paper to cover your paper tube (Makeup Monster did this, and just taped it tightly around the tube). Or you can paint the tower your favourite colour, or use crayors, pencil crayons or stickers! Whatever you have on hand. You could even glue dried pasta to it if you want — use your imagination! 

Next, comes fine details. You can take a marker and draw some windows. This will give the people living in your castle some ventilation and fresh air — which sounds lovely. 

Now it's time to put the roof and tower together. Here's an example of how it might look. 

But the fun isn't over yet. Using a toothpick or paper straw, it's time to make a flag! Take a strip of decorative tape — or any tape you have, really — and wrap it around a straw. The straw or toothpick should be in the centre so opposite sides of the tape can stick together. 

It will look something like this. And if you're happy with these flags, you can stop right here and feed your flags through the hole in the top of your roof. But if you want to add an extra flourish, you'll need to retrieve your scissors. 

Cut diagonally into the squared end of the tape from both sides. This will take out a triangular chunk out of the tape and leave you with a flag that looks like this:

And now it's time to place the flag how you like it!

And then marvel at your surprising work!

Check out Makeup Monster Makes in the video above!