Make Your Own Green Easter Basket
Reuse Items You Have On-Hand for an Eco-friendly Spring Project
Apr 5, 2009
Skip the plastic grocery store baskets this year. Instead, use one of these project ideas and make baskets with objects you have lying around the house. It will be green, useful, and lots of fun when the Easter bunny hops by your house and fills it with special treats.
Simple Do-it-Yourself Easter Baskets for Young Children
The following two ideas are classic fun and are modified from the article "Make Your Own Easter Basket" on She Knows.
Strawberry Basket
Materials:
- plastic pint strawberry basket
- construction paper or ribbon
- scissors
- tape or glue
- Chenille-type pipe cleaners
Making the basket:
- Cut the construction paper into strips as wide as the holes in your basket. Or, use ribbon of that width. Cut strips long enough to go all the way around the basket.
- Weave paper or ribbon in and out of holes in the basket. When you have gone all the way around, connect ends with tape or glue.
- Make a handle using pipe cleaners. For a sweet look, braid three pipe cleaners together and hook ends around sides of basket.
Sand Pail Basket
Materials:
- plastic beach pail
- sandpaper
- craft foam Easter shapes (bunnies, chicks, eggs, etc.)
Making the basket:
- Lightly sand the pail with sandpaper to roughen the surface. Wipe clean.
- Remove the backs from the foam shapes and apply to the pail. You can even spell out a message on your pail if you have foam letters. "Hoppy Easter!"
Do-It-Yourself Easter Basket for Older Children
Older children will appreciate a more involved, crafty project they can work hard on and take pride in. This basket uses strips of cotton cloth. For a personal touch, have the child recycle some of his or her own favorite outgrown clothing or blankets.
Materials:
- long strips of 1/2- to 3/4-inch-wide cotton cloth torn across the grain
- a blunt, wide-eye tapestry needle
- approximately 7 yards of 3/8-inch stiff rope
- scissors
Gather up your supplies, then get to work making your rag basket.
Fill Your Basket With Real Grass
At least one week before Easter, line your basket with aluminum foil and fill with a layer of potting soil. Sprinkle winter rye or grass seed on your soil and add another 1/4 inch of soil on top of the seed. Water. Cover your basket with plastic wrap to keep it moist and store it in a warm area. Once the grass has sprouted, remove the plastic. Water if it seems dry.
With a basket crafted from reused objects like a strawberry basket, a sand pail, or clothing that you no longer use, you will create something useful in a way that minimizes the waste that holidays (and craft projects!) can too often generate. Add a layer of fresh real grass to your basket and your holiday will be truly "green".
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