Recycled Puzzle Piece Earth
Turn old puzzle pieces into a fun Earth Day craft with this Recycled Puzzle Piece Earth. This easy craft for kids is a creative way to talk about reusing materials while making a colorful Earth decoration. It is a great choice for classroom activities, homeschool projects, or holiday crafts at home.
Supplies
- Green cardstock
- White cardstock
- Puzzle pieces from an old puzzle with missing pieces
- Blue paint
- Green paint
- Paintbrush
- Glue
- Scissors
Instructions
- Print the earth pattern onto white cardstock.
- Paint the earth with green land areas and blue water areas. Let it dry completely.
- If your puzzle pieces already have blue and green colors, you can use them as they are. If not, paint the backs of the puzzle pieces blue and green and let them dry. The backs work best because the front of most puzzle pieces has a smooth coating that does not absorb paint well.
- Glue the puzzle pieces around the edge of the earth so they extend a little past the outside of the circle.
- Print the word pattern onto green cardstock.
- Cut out the center of the word pattern, then glue it on top of the earth so it covers the area where the puzzle pieces extend past the circle.
Fun Facts
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22.
Recycling helps keep useful materials out of landfills.
Puzzle pieces from incomplete games can be turned into all kinds of easy crafts for kids.
Blue and green are often used in Earth Day crafts because they represent land and water on our planet.
Patterns, Templates and Printables
Print the earth pattern on white cardstock. Print the word pattern on green cardstock. Click on a pattern to open it in a new window.
Teacher Friendly Educational Extension
This Earth Day craft is a simple way to start a conversation about caring for the planet. Ask kids to name ways they can help at home or at school, such as recycling paper, turning off lights, or reusing containers for art projects. In a classroom, students can also write one Earth-friendly promise on the back of their project and share it with the group.
Supplies
Green Card Stock
White Card Stock
Puzzle with Missing Pieces
Blue & Green Paint and Brush
Glue
Scissors
Instructions
Print earth pattern on white card. Paint the earth pattern -- green for land areas, blue for water areas. Let dry. Our puzzle had a lot of blue and green areas so we were able to use them without painting. You can paint the back of your pieces to get the desired colors. (Puzzle fronts usually have a coated sealer and will not absorb paint well.) Let dry. Glue the pieces to the painted earth, extending past the outside circle. Print word pattern on the green card stock. Cut out the middle glue to the earth on top of where the pieces extend past the outside line.Patterns, Templates and Printables
Click on a pattern to open it in a new window
Contributor
These projects are created by Terri, Betty, Jamie or one of the talented staff members at MakingFriends.com. They have been created exclusively for publication on FreeKidsCrafts.com with supplies you'll be able to find around your house.
