Cups and Cans and Paper Plate Fans: Craft Projects from Recycled Materials - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 2-Cans and peaked cartons are the recyclables here, with lots of paper and paint added to disguise and change ordinary containers into something very different and much more colorful. Also used are foam and plastic cups, plastic forks and spoons, bags, jars, plastic bottles, eggshells, paper plates, balloons, glue, and tape. There is a good list of recyclables and where to get them along with drawings of them, but there are no instructions about washing the containers with soap and water before using them. Most of the projects are best suited to five-through seven-year-olds, who will need adult help reading and following the directions. Twenty-seven of the creations are pictured in full color on eight pages; the remaining 60 or so are shown in black and white. Each project is clearly and completely presented on facing pages with numbered instructions and drawings of the final product. Activities range from extremely simple to fairly complex. The very best part of this book is the play at the end. The "Know Your Earth Quiz Show" is wonderfully laid out and includes thorough directions. The script is full of excellent information, well presented. It is great for any group of children to produce and present.
Carole B. Kirkpatrick, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-6. The Fiarottas begin by advising their readers to save all sorts of trash, such as dairy containers, tubes, jars and bottles, and round containers and boxes. Then they illustrate how to recycle these throwaways into such diverse objets d'art as fans, tree ornaments, forts, and assorted animals. A totem pole made from brown paper bags and a time capsule in a glass jar are particularly imaginative. Line drawings illustrate many of the steps as well as the finished products. Necessary materials are indicated, and the directions are broken down into manageable steps. Middle-grade children could do many of the suggested crafts with a minimum of supervision. Intriguing as the results are, there is a limited demand for clown faces and hanging coils, and you wonder what ultimately will be done with these newly decorated throwaways. Perhaps that will be the subject of another book. Sheilamae O'Hara