Your child can plant a beautiful herb garden for the cost of potting soil and seeds. Clean old tin cans and use them as containers for the herbs. Help your child puncture drainage holes in the bottom of the can with a nail and hammer. Let her paint the can or decorate it with permanent markers or stickers if desired. Fill the can with potting soil and plant the herb seeds. Write the name of each herb on a popsicle stick and put it in the soil as a plant marker. Home herb gardens eliminate the need for store-bought fresh herbs, which saves gas, money and packaging.
Making homemade bird feeders engage your child's creativity, provide neighborhood birds with a snack during long winters and use recycled products. Clean an empty half gallon milk container and seal the top shut with tape or glue. Cut windows in the front and back of the container about four inches up from the bottom - 3-by-3 inch squares typically work well. These openings will allow the birds to access the food. Let your child paint or decorate the container as desired. Puncture a hole in the front and back panels below the windows and make sure each hole is placed in an identical position on the container. Put a wooden dowel through the holes and make sure it is long enough to extend through the front and back for at least four or five inches on each side; this will serve as a perch for the birds. Pour bird seed through a window until the bottom of the container is filled and hang your bird feeder from a tree.
Everyday recyclable materials will spice up any art project and make it unnecessary to spend extra money on supplies. Save egg cartons, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, cans, packaging material such as bubble wrap and popsicle sticks. Add these materials to your child's art supply materials and let the creating begin. Use bubble wrap to make a beautiful print. Paint the "bubble side" of the wrap with art paint and press a blank piece of paper on top. The result is quite beautiful.
Egg cartons transform easily into caterpillars or insects. Use a scissors to cut out a portion of the carton that is one individual egg container tall and three, four or five egg containers wide. Paint and decorate the creature -- the first container will become its head and the additional containers will become its body -- and allow it to dry. Place pipe cleaners through the top of its "head." These will become its antennaes. Secure each one at the container opening with a bit of Elmer's glue (or a similar type of craft glue). Allow to dry. Bend or "curl" the top of each antennae if desired.
Older children can help make safe and inexpensive green cleaners for the house. Hard surfaces such as counter tops, sinks and bathtubs are simple to clean with baking soda. Sprinkle straight baking soda on the surface, scrub with a sponge and rinse clean. Baking soda will also freshen stale smelling carpet. Sprinkle it on the carpet and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before vacuuming. Vinegar is excellent at cutting grease on stove tops and counters or spray it on mirrors and windows for streak-free cleaning. Make a safe disinfectant with 2 cups of water, 3 tbsp. of liquid soap, and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil. All of these cleaners are substantially less expensive than their store-bought counterparts and they are safe for children to make and to use.