Paper Plate Fish

A colorful paper plate is turned into a fish with strips of colorful paper to make nifty looking stripes.  Next add a paper tail, fins and gills.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Paper Bowl Turtles

Colorful paper bowls are colored to make tortoise shells and then given legs and a turtle face to make a cute little turtle.

Good for ages  8 and up.

About.com creates their turtle with a green paper bowl as its shell.

Get the instructions here:

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/turtlecrafts/ss/Turtle-Bowl-Craft.htm

Crafty crafted makes turtles out of a plastic bowl, cut out shapes, foam heads and feet and glue to put all of little parts.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.crafty-crafted.com/category/animal-crafts/turtle/

Paper Plate Compass

A paper plate, wooden dowels, string, a needle and a magnet come together to make a nifty hanging compass. 

The first step is to magnetize your needle.  Lay the needle on the table and then place the magnet on top.  The needle will want to jump to the magnet.  Next, slide the magnet in one direction only along the needle.  Make sure to apply some pressure to the magnet as you slide it along the needle all the way past the end.  Lift the magnet up and away from the needle.  Bring it around and start over again and again.  This needs to be done about 50 times to ensure it's properly magnetized.  Test to see if it's magnetized by touching it to another metal object, such as a paperclip.  If it sticks you're ready to make the compass, if not keep rubbing it against the magnet. 

Once the needle is magnetized, punch four small, evenly spaced holes onto a paper plate, and stick in the wooden dowels and tape them together at the top.  Then, tie a piece of thread to the needle and hang it down so the needle hangs above the plate, but doesn't touch it.  The needle needs to be level over the plate.  This is the tricky part.  Now it should spin around and move towards north. 

Plastic Jellyfish

A plastic bottle is cut from its rounded side to make this nifty jellyfish.  After cutting out the head, tape on long strings of bubble wrap for the tentacles.  You can also use cut out strips from a clear plastic bag.  Stuff the head with white cotton to give it definition.  Next, glue on paper eyes and add a long string so the jelly can hang down so he can swim in the wind.

You can also make a big jellyfish mobile. 

Toilet Paper Roll Airplane

A toilet paper roll is the base for this cardboard constructed airplane.

To make the plane you'll need:

- a toilet paper tube
- a cardboard box
- masking tape

Good for ages 9 and up.

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Upcycled Tin Foil Robots

Kids will have fun making a trash bot.  The first step is the most fun, finding different parts and pieces to include.  They can use anything they want.  Tell them to find items such as old boxes, cans, plastic containers, paper towel rolls, cartons, bottle caps, string, and packaging material and most important their imagination.  

You'll also need tape and glue.

Remember, the trash bot doesn't have to be perfect.  He doesn't need to have an arm, leg, head or even an eye.  Anyway he's made is great.  

Cereal boxes and toilet paper tubes are wrapped in tin foil and decorated with colorful plastic lids and caps to make a robot.  Kids activity blog shares the details. 

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/64846/recycled-crafts-cereal-box-robot

Minion Finger Puppets

Minion figures are drawn onto the fingers of yellow activity gloves and cut off to make finger puppets.  Paging fun mums shares the details.

Good for ages 8 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://pagingfunmums.com/2013/06/25/despicable-me-minion-finger-puppets-includes-easy-video-tutorial/