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Turn your trash into sculptures! Teach your child about reducing, reusing and recycling at the same time that you discover all about amazing works of art! Some people have gone so far as to make HOMES out of trash! There are many interesting stories you can relate to your child about lightening the load at the landfills. And then your child can make his very own masterpiece and save some trash from the landfill!

Masterpiece-In-The-Making Materials

Cereal box
Plastic containers
Empty boxes
Cardboard tubes
Masking tape
Glue
Old newspapers
Paints
Paintbrushes

Optional: markers, glitter glue, beads, feathers and other art materials

Creating Your Masterpiece

1. Cut the sides and flaps off of the cereal box to have two large flat cardboard sheets. Use each sheet as a base for your sculpture - you and your child could both make one. Or you could glue each cardboard sheet together for extra sturdiness.

2. Wash and completely dry the plastic containers. Use the containers, empty boxes, and cardboard tubes to form a sculpture of a person or object. Or the sculpture could be completely abstract -- that is, it doesn't have to look like anything! Attach the pieces to each other using masking tape and/or glue.

3. Tear old newspapers into 1-inch strips and glue the strips all over the sculpture. Allow the newspapers time to dry completely.

4. Once the newspapers (and the parts they're glued to) are dry, paint the sculpture any way that you want. You could make it all one color or multiple colors. One thing you could do with multiple colors is to paint a base coat and then 'splash' paint the other colors on top of that. Now let the paint dry thoroughly.

Optional: If desired, add embellishments using markers, glitter glue, beads, feathers and other art materials. One great example of other art materials would be those fun foam shapes.

Submitted by Leximom