1. Toilet Paper Roll Turkeys
Turn empty cardboard rolls into a cute flock of festive table decorations.
Recycled Materials: Empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls cut in half.
Supplies: Construction paper or cardstock (fall colors), googly eyes, glue, scissors, and markers.
Instructions:
Wrap the cardboard tube in brown or colored construction paper and secure it with glue.
Cut out feather shapes from yellow, orange, red, and brown paper. Glue them to the back of the roll in a fan shape.
Cut out a small triangle for the beak and a teardrop shape for the snood, then glue them onto the front of the roll along with googly eyes.
2. Egg Carton Cornucopias
Transform the bottoms of paper egg cartons into traditional horns of plenty.
Recycled Materials: Paper egg carton cups.
Supplies: Brown or tan paint, paintbrushes, tissue paper or colorful scrap paper, and glue.
Instructions:
Cut out individual cups from a paper egg carton and trim one side so it curves outward like a horn.
Paint the cups brown or tan and let them dry completely.
Crumple small pieces of colorful tissue paper or scrap paper to look like vegetables, fruits, and leaves, and glue them spilling out of the opening of the cup.
3. Plastic Bottle Turkeys
Use clear plastic water bottles to make colorful, festive turkeys filled with treats.
Recycled Materials: Clean, empty plastic water or soda bottles with caps.
Supplies: Colorful feathers, foam sheets, googly eyes, double-sided tape, and candy corn or autumn-colored beads to fill the bottle.
Instructions:
Fill the clean bottle halfway with candy corn, pom-poms, or beads to give it weight and color.
Tape or glue a fan of colorful feathers around the back of the bottle near the base.
Cut out a turkey face from foam sheets (beak, wattle) and stick them onto the front of the bottle along with googly eyes.
4. Cardboard Box Thanksgiving Pie Slices
Slice up some pretend pie using leftover corrugated cardboard boxes.
Recycled Materials: Corrugated cardboard boxes.
Supplies: Tan, brown, and white paint or felt, cotton balls (for whipped cream), scissors, and glue.
Instructions:
Cut triangle wedges out of cardboard to represent slices of pumpkin or pecan pie.
Paint the top and sides brown and tan to look like crust and filling, or wrap them in colored felt.
Glue a fluffy white cotton ball or a crumpled piece of white paper onto the tip of each slice to act as a dollop of whipped cream.
5. Newspaper or Magazine Fall Leaf Garland
Weave colorful recycled magazines and circulars into a gorgeous rustic garland for your mantel.
Recycled Materials: Old newspapers, magazines, or junk mail.
Supplies: Fall-colored acrylic paints (orange, red, yellow, brown), twine or string, hole punch, and scissors.
Instructions:
Paint large leaf patterns directly onto newspaper pages using autumn colors and let dry.
Cut out the painted leaf shapes.
Punch a small hole near the stem of each leaf and string them along a piece of twine to create a hanging garland.
6. Metal lid Place Cards, glass coasters or Photo Frames
Create shiny, metallic mini pumpkins to mark seats at your Thanksgiving table.
Recycled Materials: clean metal lids from jars or orange juice cans
Supplies: Orange and green craft paint, heavy-duty scissors or snips (adult use), twine, and small slips of paper for names.
Instructions:
For picture frames, clean lids and use as templates to trace around photos. Glue in to create frame.
For place cards, paint insides and outsides orange and add black horizontal stripes and pumpkin face. Cut a brown or green stem from recycled circular and glue to top. Write names along edge with paint pen.
For coasters, clean lid and color with paint pens, a festive fall scene.
7. Cereal Box Thankful Tree
Construct a family gratitude tree using sturdy cardboard from breakfast cereal boxes.
Recycled Materials: Empty cereal boxes.
Supplies: Brown marker or paint, fall-colored construction paper cut into leaf shapes, scissors, and a jar or base.
Instructions:
Cut a large tree trunk and branch silhouette out of the flat cardboard panels of a cereal box.
Paint or color the cardboard brown. Stand it up in a jar filled with dried beans or stones.
Have family members write what they are thankful for on paper leaves and glue or hang them from the branches.
8. Bottle Cap Pilgrim Hat Magnets
Repurpose metal bottle caps into adorable miniature pilgrim hats for the fridge.
Recycled Materials: clean metal bottle caps, toothpaste caps, single serve creamer or K-cups
Supplies: Black acrylic paint, yellow craft foam or paper, small round magnets, and hot glue.
Instructions:
Paint cups or bottle caps entirely black and let them dry.
Cut small squares out of black recycled cardboard (or paint it black) to act as the hat brim, and glue the painted bottle cap to the center of each square.
Cut a tiny yellow square with a hollow center for the buckle and glue it to the front of the hat, then attach a magnet to the back.
9. Plastic Jug Indian Corn
Use translucent milk jugs to craft glowing decorative ears of harvest corn.
Recycled Materials: Clean translucent plastic milk jugs.
Supplies: Permanent markers in harvest colors (yellow, red, purple, brown), scissors, and green tissue paper.
Instructions:
Cut corn cob shapes out of the flat panels of a clear plastic milk jug.
Use permanent markers to draw rows of colorful corn kernels across the plastic.
Wrap the base of the plastic cob with green tissue paper or painted paper to look like corn husks.
10. Paper Bag Scarecrow Puppets
Turn brown paper lunch sacks into friendly harvest guardians.
Recycled Materials: Brown paper lunch bags.
Supplies: Scrap paper, yarn (for hair), markers, and leftover fabric scraps.
Instructions:
Use the bottom flap of the paper bag as the scarecrow's hat brim and head.
Glue yarn strands under the flap for hair and draw a friendly face on the bag.
Glue a small patch of scrap fabric onto the front of the bag shirt to complete the scarecrow look.
11. Cardboard Tube Napkin Rings
Dress up your holiday dinner table with customized, eco-friendly napkin holders.
Recycled Materials: Cardboard paper towel rolls.
Supplies: Burlap ribbon, twine, faux autumn leaves, scissors, and glue.
Instructions:
Cut the cardboard tube into 1.5-inch rings.
Wrap each ring tightly with strips of burlap ribbon or twine, securing the ends with glue.
Glue a small faux autumn leaf or paper acorn to the front center of each ring.
12. Tin Can Turkey Wind Chime
Upcycle kitchen cans into a musical holiday decoration for your porch.
Recycled Materials: Clean tin cans of various sizes.
Supplies: Acrylic paint, yarn, beads, a nail and hammer (for adult-made holes), and metal washers or small bells.
Instructions:
Paint the tin cans in bright autumn colors (orange, brown, yellow) and paint a turkey face on the largest can.
Ask an adult to punch a small hole in the bottom of each can.
Thread string through the cans, tying beads and small bells at the bottom to act as the clappers for the wind chime.
13. Egg Carton Acorns
Recycled Materials: Paper egg cartons and real twigs or rolled paper stems.
Supplies: Brown and tan paint, real acorn caps (optional), and glue.
Instructions:
Cut individual egg carton cones/cups to form the textured caps of acorns.
Paint the cups brown and roll small balls of tan-painted aluminum foil or crumpled paper to form the acorn bases.
Glue the paper base inside the egg carton cup and attach a small twig piece to the top as a stem.
14. Newspaper Turkey Centerpiece
Create a large, fluffy centerpiece for your holiday spread using recycled newsprint.
Recycled Materials: Old newspapers and a small cardboard box or paper bowl.
Supplies: Poster paint, colorful tissue paper scraps, scissors, and tape.
Instructions:
Crumple newspapers into a large ball for the turkey's body and a smaller ball for the head, securing them with tape.
Cover the body balls with painted newspaper strips and colorful tissue paper feathers.
Mount the turkey body onto a small inverted cardboard box base painted to look like a harvest table runner.
15. Magazine Mosaic Pumpkin
Design a vibrant textured pumpkin art piece using colorful pages from old magazines.
16. Plastic Spoon Pilgrims Puppets
Transform disposable plastic spoons into a colorful bunch of harvest corn.
Recycled Materials: Clean white plastic spoons (leftover from takeout or parties).
Supplies: Sharpie permanent markers or better yet, paint pens in flesh tones, black tissues paper, and twine.
Instructions:
Use colorful permanent markers to draw a face on the plastic spoon
Wrap tissue paper and twist to make arms and dress of pilgrim.
Tie in place with yarn.
17. Glass Jar Autumn Luminary
Recycle glass jars into glowing table lights filled with autumn warmth.
Recycled Materials: Clean glass jars (pasta sauce or jam jars).
Supplies: Tissue paper squares (red, orange, yellow), Mod Podge or watered-down glue, a paintbrush, and a battery-operated tea light.
Instructions:
Brush a layer of Mod Podge onto the outside of the clean glass jar.
Press overlapping tissue paper squares onto the jar until it is fully covered, then seal with another layer of glue over the top.
Let it dry completely, tie a piece of twine around the rim, and place a battery-operated tea light inside to watch it glow.
18. Cardboard Box Mayflower Ship
Build a historical model of the Mayflower using pieces of shipping boxes.
Recycled Materials: Cardboard shipping boxes and wooden skewers or thin twigs.
Supplies: White paper (for sails), scissors, markers, and hot glue.
Instructions:
Cut a long, curved boat hull shape out of thick cardboard and build low sides using strips of box panels.
Push wooden skewers or twigs vertically into the center of the boat to serve as masts.
Cut white paper triangles, decorate them, and thread them onto the skewers to act as the ship's sails.
19. Bottle Cap Pumpkin Patch
Arrange flat metal bottle caps into a cute little patch of mini pumpkins.
Recycled Materials: Metal bottle caps.
Supplies: Orange spray paint or acrylic paint, green pipe cleaners, and a small piece of cardboard backing.
Instructions:
Paint the tops of several metal bottle caps vibrant orange and allow them to dry.
Glue the painted caps closely together onto a small rectangular piece of cardboard backing.
Twist small pieces of green pipe cleaners into curly tendrils and glue them on top of the caps to form pumpkin stems and vines.
20. Toilet Paper Roll Napkin Rings
Create quick, stylish napkin rings decorated with autumn foliage from the recycle bin.
Recycled Materials: Empty toilet paper rolls.
Supplies: Brown paper bags, markers, scissors, and glue.
Instructions:
Cut the toilet paper roll into 1-inch thick bands.
Cut leaf shapes out of recycled brown paper grocery bags and color them with autumn markers.
Glue the paper leaves onto the front of each cardboard band to create a charming, rustic napkin ring for your Thanksgiving table setting.
