Earth Month Craft Ideas for Toddlers with Everyday Materials

Earth Month might be wrapping up, but teaching our little dreamers to love and care for the planet doesn’t have to. If you’ve already started the conversation, then here’s an opportunity to continue it. If you haven’t, let’s start it! What better way to teach little ones than with a few everyday items you would usually throw in the recycling bin and their big imaginations! 

These are simple, earth-friendly crafts perfect for dreamers with little hands (especially ones who are into glue!). Whether it’s using a toilet paper roll or a garden made from an egg carton, these simple activities create open conversations for curious little ones about nature, how to reuse what we already have, and to indulge in creative fun. 

So let’s keep the Earth Month magic going and make something creative and planet-loving together.

Toddlers are experts at turning anything into something magical. Got a cardboard box? They’ll turn it into a surfboard or an ice cream shop. Got a stick? Let’s make a magical wand and add some feathers. So, what better opportunity than to use their creativity and turn it into a teaching moment about caring for the planet? 

Starting the conversation about sustainability early doesn’t have to be serious or rocket science. It can be as simple as sprinkling eco-friendly habits into your daily routines like reusing a yogurt container instead of throwing it away or stopping during walks to notice nature. Toddlers love doing what we do, and when they see us repurposing everyday items and choosing the planet over new things, they’ll learn from those choices. So as silly as it may see.

Toilet Roll Bird Feeders

What You’ll Need: 

• Toilet paper roll
• String
• Peanut butter
• Popsicle stick  
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds

How to Make It: 

1. Use a popsicle stick and spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the toilet paper roll
2. Place some seeds in a bowl
3. Take the toilet paper roll and roll it in the seeds until it is covered
4. Thread a string through the toilet paper roll and tie a knot 
5. Find a place and hang this where the birds can enjoy some yummy seeds!

Nature Bracelets

What You’ll Need: 

• Clear Masking Tape

How to Make It: 

1. Make a bracelet around your little one’s wrist with masking tape
2. Go on a nature walk and collect things like leaves and flowers 
3. Let them decorate it as they go or at the end of the walk

Seed Bombs 

What You’ll Need:

• Seeds
• Coloured construction paper
• Silicone mold (optional)
• Blender

How To Make It: 

1. Tear construction paper into small pieces 
2. Soak the pieces of construction paper in a small bowl of water for 20 minutes to soften them
3. After 20 minutes, squeeze the excess water out of the paper 
4. Now it's ready for the blender! Place the paper into the blender and blend it until it is a pulp consistency
5. If you have a silicone mold, place the blended paper halfway into it. It's okay if you don't too! Simply too the blended paper into a ball.
6. Sprinkle some seeds over the paper
7. Fill the mold up with the remaining paper 
8. Leave the seeds bombs to dry for 2-3 days 
9. Drop it into a garden bed and watch the magic happen 

Side note: we recommend using wildflower seeds that will help bees pollinate or feed the birds like daisies, lavender, or purple coneflowers. 

DIY Recycled Paper 

What You'll Need:

• Paper free from staples and tape like newspaper, tissue paper, paper bags 
• Water
• Large container 
• Window screen or picture frame without the backing 
• Cloth like a towel or tea towel 
• Food colouring (optional)

How To Do It:

1. Tear the paper into pieces 
2. Fill the blender with a little bit of water and place the paper inside
3. Blend the paper on low speed. You may need to increase the amount of water depending on the amount of paper. You'll want to blend the paper until it is a pulp consistency. 
4. Turn the blender on high speed once the paper becomes more liquidy
5. Place the window frame into a large plastic container 
6. Pour the pulp on top of the screen 
7. Place the towel on top of the screen to absorb excess liquid and push the screen into the tub (it gets messy!)
8. Use one hand to hold the cloth while you flip the window screen into a table (where you don't mind having a mess) 
9. Remove the screen and leave the cloth with paper pulp in a place where it can dry (this can take 2-3 days depending how thick your paper is) 
10. Once dry, remove it from the frame and craft with it! 

Ocean Animal Rescue Sensory Bin 

What You'll Need:

• A muffin tray 
• Sea animal figurines 
• Food colouring 
• Plastic container 
• Droppers  

How To Do It:

1. Place small figurines of sea animals like whales, fishes, and others into a muffin tray (1 per muffin cup)
2. Fill each cup with water until it's about ¾ full 
3. Add blue colouring into each muffin cup if you want to mimic the ocean’s colour 
4. Place the muffin tray into the freezer and wait until they're frozen like ice cubes 
5. Once frozen, pop then into a plastic container. You can fill it with lukewarm water to give the activity a head start or leave it completely frozen 
6. Give your little dreamer a bowl of water and a dropper and let them rescue the animals! 

Earth Month might be ending soon but raising mini planet protectors doesn’t have to! Here are some ways to keep the conversations going all year long:

• Make crafting with recycled materials a regular thing: Little creatives love a crafting corner with items they can freely use. Start a craft bin with clean recyclables like paper rolls, cereal boxes, yogurt containers, fruit pouch caps, and egg cartons and let your little dreamer go wild like they do during free play time.
• Read books on sustainability together: Books are a way to connect and talk about big ideas in a way that toddlers can understand. Go to the library or browse your secondhand store for books about nature, animals, seasons, and taking care of the planet. 
• Enjoy the outdoors: Being outside not only helps them use up their energy but it also allows them to fall in love with nature. When they love the planet, they’ll want to take care of it. Stop and observe nature - look for bugs, talk about trees, or collect leaves and pinecones for crafts. 
• Let them sort recycling or compost: Kids thrive when they become helpers in the family. Get them involved by letting them sort the recyclables or clear the food scraps into a compost bag after dinner. 

These, along with planet-loving habits like using a recyclable water bottle or watering the plants, are small ways to keep the momentum about sustainability going after Earth Month. Looking for more ideas? Read our guide on How to Talk About Sustainability with Kids.

Tiny hands can make a big impact on the planet. With just a few items from around the home, you can turn an afternoon into a crafting moment and celebrate the planet. Earth Month might only come once a year, but the conversations about loving and caring for the planet can be year-round.