Transform recyclables into model towns of dreamed-up dwellings.

Materials

• Large paper grocery bags
• Markers and crayons
• Newspaper
• Scissors

• Glue stick and/or double-sided tape
• Construction paper and poster board
• Old magazines and catalogs
• Toilet paper tubes

Instructions

1. Start with 2 flattened grocery bags for each building. (If your bags have logos printed on the sides, you can create a plain surface by taping a brown paper sheet over the housefront, or by carefully cutting apart the bag, turning it inside out, and taping it back together.)

2. Decorate one of the bags by drawing in windows and doors, coloring in bricks or clapboards, and adding distinctive touches like cutout flower boxes and creeping ivy.

3. When the basic drawing and coloring are complete, stuff the second grocery bag with crumpled newspaper. Now open the decorated bag and slide it on top to create a six-sided block.

4. Cut out, fold, and glue or tape in place shutters, doors, and stairs from colored paper. Add pictures of people, pets, and other images cut from magazines.

5. Top off the house by cutting out a poster-board roof and gluing or taping it in place. For a crowning touch, add a chimney fashioned out of construction paper or a toilet paper tube.

Tips:

The buildings can be purely imaginative, like a fantasy dream house, or based on your actual town or neighborhood (making it a fun project for a classroom, troop, or church group).

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Find more about:

• 1 Hour |
• All Ages |
• Cardboard Crafts |
• Drawing |
• Drawing Supplies |
• Paper Crafts |
• Preschooler |
• Recycled Crafts |
• School Age |
• Toys |
• Tween

Related Categories:

• Drawing Projects |
• Recyclable Crafts