• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Recycled & Fun Valentines to Make With Your Kids

Recycled Crayons for Valentine's Day

Recycled Crayons for Valentine's Day

On a recent trip to the supermarket, I took a stroll down the valentine aisles.  Holy Canoli, that’s a lot of garbage is all I have to say about the experience.

The good news, amongst the THREE aisles full of valentine-y JUNK, I located 3 different boxes of eco-conscious Valentine cards (the little classroom trading cards).  Each had a different earth message, one was about saving the rain forests, another was about recycling, and the third was about animals.  They were labeled as using recycled paper and soy based inks.

I still wasn’t convinced to buy them.

We like to make our Valentines around here… it goes hand in hand with our handmade holidays theme.  In the past we’ve made heart shaped playdough, used pencils to anchor a paper greeting, and made traditional doily heart cards.

This year, we’ve decided to reuse all the (hundreds) of crayons we have laying around the house.  I purchased a heart shaped silicon mold (which we will use for all kinds of projects and goodies).  It was $8.00.  Since I have four school aged children, it was less expensive than packages of paper cards.  I opted for silicon because its much easier to push the new crayons out… and easy to clean. (You can find molds and tins at thrift stores and yard sales.)

Next, we simply removed the wrappers and broke up all the scrap crayons we had.  Then when placed them into the mold, baked at 200 degrees F for about 20 minutes and allowed to cool.  The trick for me was to place the mold onto a cookie sheet, this helped prevent spillage when moving.  Once the crayons reached room temperature (about 30 minutes), I popped them out and started the next batch.

For the “card”, we are cutting heart shapes from scrap paper… cereal boxes make great firm backing, then we cut another piece that has one clean side and glue them together (printed sides facing in).

If you want to get really fancy, tear up a bunch of scrap paper and use it to decoupage the cardboard hearts (mix glue & water, and simply paint each torn piece of paper to the backing, overlapping for desired look). I don’t recommend the decoupage option if you have to make a lot of cards… it is a bit messy and time consuming, but the finished look is adorable!

Then we wrote on the back of each heart and attached a crayon to the center using a piece of rolled tape. The good news is… not only are these cards recycled, they are also recyclable!  The crayons will hopefully get used down to nubs and then can be melted into new shapes, the paper cards can go right into the recycling bin.  Another tip is to include a short how to paper so that parents can make their own crayons in the future.

Have a Happy Eco Valentine’s Day!

Photo Credit: Yours truly.  The card on the left is a cereal box backing with decoupage scrap paper, the card on the right is a cereal box backing with Sunday comics on the front.

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Google
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Green Mama's Rant: Stop Erectile Dysfunction Commercials on TV!
The Government is Storing Your Baby’s DNA Without Your Consent »

Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    February 9, 2010 at 4:25 pm

    Those are some great ideas. My daughter has been talking about wanting to make her own Valentines this year.

    Reply
  2. Veronika says

    February 10, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    Thank you for sharing your ideas!

    Reply
  3. Mel says

    February 14, 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Very cute ideas. I will definitely try these next year.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life!

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child's Play

Study Finds Correlation Between Roundup & Low Birth Weight

Study Finds Correlation Between Roundup & Low Birth Weight

School Yoga Reduces Children’s Anxiety

School Yoga Reduces Children’s Anxiety

More from the archives!

5 Green Products: Phthlate-Free Glow-in-the-Dark EarthBall to Peeled Snacks Full of Food Additives to Avoid

Is Grandpa’s Chemical Exposure Making You Anxious?

Little Chickie Wear: Cute Organic Tee’s and Onesies by Eco-Mompreneur

5 Green Products: Greenzy's Children's Book to Nature Baby Organic Cotton Clothing

Why does Codex Allow Greater Lead Limits in Grape Juice Than Water?

Why does Codex Allow Greater Lead Limits in Grape Juice Than Water?

The Full List of Baby Essentials That Aren’t From Cribs to Changing Tables

The Full List of Baby Essentials That Aren’t From Cribs to Changing Tables

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy
logo
Food Advertising by

Sara Snow's Fresh Living

Is Organic Milk Really Better?  (YES!)

Is Organic Milk Really Better? (YES!)

April Fools From the Grist

How to Have Socially Responsible Birthday Party – What To Do About Gifts

Raw Food Recipes:  Curried Cashews and Mixed Vegetables

Raw Food Recipes: Curried Cashews and Mixed Vegetables

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Target Target for Phasing Out PVC May 24th!

Prevent the Stomach Flu: Close the Toilet Lid

To Ultrasound or Not to Ultrasound:  Reasons Vs. Risks

To Ultrasound or Not to Ultrasound: Reasons Vs. Risks

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day

Hank D and the Bee: Republican Treehuggers

Copyright © 2018 · Divine theme by Restored 316

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.