October 14, 2026

Recycled Animal Crafts

A tube elephant, a box turtle, and an egg-carton caterpillar

Recycled animal crafts turn a tube, a box, or a carton into a creature with a face and a way to move, even if the moving is pretend. The animal paper plate article covers plate animals. This one stays with packaging. Pick the scrap first, then decide which animal that shape suggests.

Set up the table

Clean and dry scraps only. Skip containers that held cleaners. Set out paper for ears, tails, and wings, plus tape. Paint is optional and slows the build. Markers keep the animal sturdy.

Tube elephant

Ages: 5+. Time: 25 minutes.

You need: one tube, a paper trunk, two paper ears, markers.

  1. Draw eyes.
  2. Tape the trunk so it hangs from the top opening.
  3. Add ears.
  4. Four marker legs on the tube.

A trunk is what makes it an elephant. The rest can be simple.

Box turtle

Ages: 5+. Time: 25 minutes.

You need: a small box, paper head and legs, markers.

  1. The box is the shell.
  2. Tape the head and four legs so they stick out.
  3. Draw shell shapes on the box.
  4. A tail is a short strip.

Leave the box closed. An open box collapses when they play with it.

Carton caterpillar

Ages: 4+. Time: 20 minutes.

You need: a row of egg cups, markers, paper antennae.

  1. Colour the cups.
  2. Face on the first cup.
  3. Antennae taped on.
  4. Bend the row a little so it curves.

This is the same idea as the egg carton article, kept short so it can sit in a zoo of other animals.

Cap turtle or beetle

Ages: 4+. Time: 15 minutes.

You need: a clean plastic cap, paper legs, marker, tape.

  1. The cap is the shell.
  2. Tape legs underneath or draw them on paper glued beside it.
  3. Add eyes on the front rim.
  4. It can be a beetle if they skip the head.

Caps are small. This is for children past the mouthing stage.

Envelope fish

Ages: 5+. Time: 20 minutes.

You need: a used envelope, scissors, crayon.

  1. Seal the envelope.
  2. Cut a triangle tail, adult help.
  3. Draw scales and one eye.
  4. The flap can be a fin.

A greeting-card envelope is sturdier than a thin bill envelope.

Scrap zoo

Ages: 6+. Time: 30 minutes.

You need: three different scraps, paper, tape.

  1. Each scrap becomes one animal.
  2. They do not have to match.
  3. Line them up.
  4. Tell which one eats, which one swims, which one sleeps.

Three animals are a zoo. A fourth can wait.

What to watch

Plastic caps, small carton chips, and beads are choking hazards. For under three, make the plate animals instead, or the large box turtle with paper legs bigger than a fist.

The Imagination Hive is a children’s art and STEM studio in Milton, Ontario. These projects use ordinary supplies so you can start at the kitchen table.

Keep making