Are you looking for eco-friendly Easter crafts for kids?
Eco-friendly Easter crafts for kids
Easter is finally here, and the long weekend ahead is the perfect time to do some seasonal crafts with the children.
Whether it’s tasty treats to bake with all the leftover Easter chocolate or you want to find some pretty DIY Easter decorations to put up around the house, these crafts from the Woodland Trust are sure to keep kids busy in between all the Easter egg hunts!
1. Make an Easter tree
This Easter tree is really easy to make and looks amazing when finished. Head outside to the garden or nearby park and see if you can find a fallen branch or some twigs that might make an interesting decoration. Make sure there are plenty of twigs to hang things from. Once you’ve found the perfect one – place it in a vase at home and get ready to decorate.
Decorative hanging eggs work really well (you can get these from most craft shops, or make them yourself by gluing string to normal decorative eggs), but you can also add ribbons, felt flowers, little paper butterflies and whatever else takes your fancy. It’s that simple! A gorgeous decoration that makes a great homemade centrepiece for the table at your family meal.
2. Chocolate Easter nests
It isn’t Easter without chocolate treats, and what better way to use leftover Easter eggs? These nests are so easy to make so are perfect for young children. You could also try teaching the kids about real birds nests and eggs while you’re making them too. All you need to make these is some shredded wheat (cornflakes work well too), a big bar of chocolate (or a chocolate egg) and some mini chocolate eggs and you’re ready to go.
Start by melting your chocolate and breaking up your shredded wheat. Mix them both together and then pop a portion in a cupcake case and top with mini eggs. Leave it in the fridge to set and you’re all finished. These are seriously delicious and even the most inexperienced baker can make them successfully!
3. Egg carton Easter wreath
This one really has the ‘wow factor’ and is perfect for the Easter weekend. You can create a beautiful decorative wreath while recycling your old egg cartons with this DIY project with the kids. All you will need is some egg cartons, scissors, paint, string, cardboard and PVA glue.
- To make the base for your wreath, cut out a cardboard circle – using a large dinner plate works well for this. Then, cut out a smaller circle (a small dinner plate should work) inside the larger circle to create your wreath base.
- Cut up your egg cartons to create flower shapes – have a go at a few different ways of cutting them to create different flower designs. Then, paint each ‘flower’ in a variety of spring colours.
- Why not cut some leaf shapes out of cardboard and paint them green too. You can use your PVA glue to stick them onto your wreath, on both the inside and outside edges.
- Apply PVA glue to the entire wreath and stick down your egg carton flowers.
- Once your wreath is dry, add some final touches – pom-poms look beautiful in the centre of the flowers, and you can get creative by adding some little paper butterflies or pebble ladybirds if you’re feeling creative. Once you’re pleased with how it looks, get some string or ribbon and attach it to the back of your wreath. And you’re done! Now it’s time to hang up your wreath.
4. Easter egg leaves – More eco-friendly Easter crafts
This is a really simple and cost effective craft that will see your little ones turning leaves into pretty Easter eggs! Get outdoors and gather together a selection of egg-shaped leaves (alder leaves work well) and then it’s time to decorate them! You can use whatever materials you have to decorate them in a range of fun Easter patterns.
Paint pens work really well for this, and painting on the leaves is a great way to teach kids about different textures. Once done, you can display your Easter egg leaves around the house, or string them all together to create some homemade Easter bunting.
5. Eco-friendly Easter bunny gift bag
If you’re giving out gifts this Easter, why not ditch the plastic bags and wrapping paper and instead choose an eco-friendly (and super fun) option – brown paper bunny gift bags! Perfect for popping chocolate eggs in, all you’ll need is a brown paper bag, some scissors, a pen and some string. Then it’s just a case of cutting out some bunny ears at the top of the bag, drawing on a cute little face, popping your gift in the bag and then tying it with some string. It is so easy to do but so effective, and entirely recyclable.
I do hope you have enjoyed these eco-friendly Easter crafts – For more kids activities, visit the Woodland Trust blog and find plenty of crafty and outdoor ideas to enjoy with the family.
Further reading
A simple easter egg nature craft
Easter basket ideas for tweens
Woodland Trust family Membership
