This little recycled pop bottle pig is an eco-friendly children’s craft that is just too cute to pass up. The craft comes courtesy of the grand-dame of crafting Martha Stewart.  This eco-friendly children’s craft is great because you get to use some of the odds and ends you have around the house like empty spools of thread and even wrapping paper. With this, like any other ecofriendly children’s craft, there should always be adult supervision as the craft calls for the use of something sharp enough to cut the plastic pop bottle as well as a hot glue gun.

Materials:

• One 2L pop bottle with the label removed
• Four empty spools of thread
• Construction paper
• Patterned paper (wrapping paper will work fine)
• Double-sided tape
• Hot glue gun
• Exacto knife
• Pipe cleaner
• Any other craft/design odds and ends the kids want to use to personalize their piggy bank.

Instructions:
Rinse an empty bottle with hot soapy water and let dry. Cut features such as eyes, ears, and nostrils from construction paper (ears should be cut longer than necessary, so there is a little extra paper at the base that can be folded over to make tabs, to ensure they stand up).  Attach with double-sided tape on the underside of ear tabs and on the back of other pieces.  Tape patterned paper around body.  Hot-glue empty thread spools on for legs. Cut a slot at the top for coins (that goes through the bottle and the paper).  Poke a hole in back of the pig so that you to insert a pipe-cleaner tail.

Tip:
Try to remove the label on the bottle in one piece so you can measure it, and add a little extra to the length so you can overlap slightly on the underside of the pig.

This is a great eco-friendly craft as the kids will be happy about creating their own piggy bank and that will spark a conversation about saving as well.  Responsible on so many levels.  In these tough economic times it is never to early to impress upon kids the value of money and saving. By coupling that conversation with this craft, you make saving AND recycling seem fun and exciting. So enjoy this eco-friendly children’s craft on the next rainy day or perfect for Earth Day.  At the very least, it is an inexpensive way to keep them occupied.  Have fun!

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