Upcycling Crafts for Kids: Tin Can Turkeys
We’ve partnered with Mikki Jeffers and Tracy Williams from the Howard County Recycling District, on a series of fun crafts that encourage upcycling items that may be recycled or mistakenly thrown away at your house. Here you’ll find photos and step-by-step instructions for a simple craft you can create together with your family. This craft was inspired from an article by Growing a Green World and took us a little over 20 minutes to make these cute turkeys.
TKP Photo | Alli Lee
Supplies You’ll Need:
Food Can or Coffee Canister (we used 28 oz size)
Colored Paint (acrylic/latex is best in recycling cleaning process)
Paintbrushes
Old Newspaper
Googley Eyes
Glue
Scissors
TKP Photo | Alli Lee
Paint your Can
We used two new cans from our dinner and made sure they were cleaned and dry before painting. You can use any type of brush to paint on food grade steel or aluminum cans, but prepare to need multiple coats for a full coverage look. Allow time for drying. Painting and coloring always seems to be our favorite part!
TKP Photo | Alli Lee
2. Prepare Turkey Feathers and Face
If you happen to have extra googly eyes at your home, this is the perfect use for them. While the can may be drying, let the crafters color on old newspaper and cut out feather shapes for the tail. The beak and snood can be made from simple shapes like a triangle and wave.
TKP Photo | Alli Lee
3. Use glue to finish your turkey
Add glue or a stronger adhesive to the back of the can so the paper feathers can stick up behind the can like a tail. On the other side, add small dots of glue to adhere your googly eyes, beak, and snood. Crafters can get creative and make the turkey faces look silly, serious, or even scared. Allow a few hours for the craft to fully dry.
TKP Photo | Alli Lee
4. Display your finished Turkey on your Table
Your beautiful craft can be used in various ways, but my favorite is to hold utensils on Thanksgiving!
Photo Provided | Howard County Recycling District
Mikki Jeffers, executive director of the Howard County Recycling District, suggested having a craft table at your Thanksgiving gathering this year.
“Avoid using ‘new’ items when you do upcycling crafts. Look around the house or garage for what you have lying around — old paint, beads, buttons, feathers, nuts/bolts, old fabric scraps/clothing, etc. Be creative! Consider using latex paint or food coloring as these are water-based and removed easily during the cleaning process”
We’d love to see how your turkeys turn out! Tag us on Facebook or leave a comment below about your favorite family upcycling crafts. What should we upcycle next?
