Easy Kid’s Upcycle Project – CD Rainbow Maker

Today marks the beginning of National Recycling Week, so over the weekend my daughter Ryan I decided to find something around the house to upcycle instead of throwing it away. We found our inspiration from the show Annedroids on Amazon Prime. Ryan loves to watch this show because it inspires her to create new and useful items with materials that most people would discard. We often use juice cartons to make bird houses, brown paper grocery bags as book covers, and glass jars for storage, just to make a few of our past projects.

What we found for our project were old cd’s from a music class she had as a toddler. When we were looking at them she saw that when the light from outside hit the cd it made a rainbow, this reminded us of the Annedroids episode 8 called Pal in the middle where Anne and Nick created a rainbow maker from items found in their junkyard. They used a prism, mirror, bright light and water from a hose to create their rainbow maker, but all we needed were these old cds.

We wanted to hang the cds outside so that the sunlight could reflect off them all day creating rainbow for us to enjoy. So we gathered up some left over craft supplies and decided to make cd birds to hang in our tree.

 First, we used permanent markers to draw feathers on the cds, you will need two cds per bird. Be sure not to use washable markers because the designs will wipe right off of the cd.

Then we cut out feathers and a beak from craft foam. If you decide to hang these inside, maybe in a kitchen or in your child’s bedroom, then you can use a lighter material such as felt or cardstock.

Next I used a hot glue gun to add the beak and tail feathers to the inside of one cd, added more glue inside and pressed my two cds together. Lastly,  I added a little wing to one side and googly eyes to both sides of the bird.

Now your bird is finished! We are hanging our birds in a tree outside so we tied some twine through the hole in the middle of the cd. If you are hanging your bird inside then you can use something lighter such as string or yarn. I tied an extra knot right at the top of the cd so that it wouldn’t slide around when the wind blew, you could also use a dab of glue to attach the string instead of tying it.

If you and your kids love to upcycle items from around your house too, be sure to check out  Annedroids on Amazon Prime. The main character Anne has created androids from items found in a junkyard. She uses the androids to help her with scientific experiments that she conducts with her friends Nick and Shania. My daughter Ryan has enjoyed watching so many episodes because they inspire her to think of real life solutions to everyday problems by using materials we have on hand. Who knows, maybe she will be a scientist or inventor one day!

What will you and your kids upcycle today?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.