Ok, I’m over it. Yes, the cranky and the quarantine, but even more all the trash. This DIY Tin Can Wind Chime Craft for Kids is an easy craft/activity to do with your family by turning trash into recycled goods along the way. And, a great way to explore Earth Day together next week. I’m sharing a little early so you have time to gather supplies.
Seriously, we’ve been buying supplies and groceries online and using up all kinds of freezer foods and pantry staples. And, it’s creating quite the mound of trash and extra recyclables around our house. I’ve been using up boxes and recycled paper to make cards and projects to send to our friends.
Each morning we have a little color, paint, sticker time to appease the need to make. It is hard to keep an extroverted toddler entertained while we have to stay home. He is not his normal fun self. Usually a few days a week, we get out and do something and he is totally over having to stay home and not see his people.
I’ve been trying to be creative with him and with our meals to eat things we already have at home and use up some pantry staples and freezer finds. I’ve been saving a stack of cans beside our sink once I decided I wanted to try a wind chime or mobile out of recycled items.
This past weekend, I asked my husband to help me make a DIY project that I had in my head. Isn’t that where all Saturday marital projects start? She thinks up something to make and she can only do it if he helps her. Yep, that’s how our weekend went.
The DIY Wind Chime made from recycled materials turned out better than expected and is a fun addition to our porch as a sign of accomplishment during our quarantined time in. Plus, we built it together.
The whole point here was to find a creative way to use up recycled materials and craft supplies you already have at home. If you are making this as an Earth Day project or for Vacation Bible School, you may have to purchase some of the supplies. But, if you are making this as a quarantine activity, intentionally plan to get creative and use things you already have at home.
Gather your supplies, find a safe place to work, and get to making!
**Notes before you get started
- You need 3 cans that fit inside each other. It doesn’t matter how tall they are they just need to be able to nestle together. I used a spaghetti sauce can, green been can, and Rotel can – it doesn’t matter what was in them or how tall they are. They just need to be three concentric sizes that will fit inside each other.
- Also, focus on using up supplies or items you already have around your house – the pantry, craft closet, garage.
- If your kids are making these, you may not want to use the can lids if they have rough-cut edges. Instead, you could use anything metal that could be attached by the wire – a jelly jar ring, a canning lid, nuts/bolts, metal ruler. Just think anything that they could safely work with and not cut themselves
DIY Tin Can Wind Chime
Equipment
- Drill and drill bit
Materials
- 3 empty, cleaned, and dried recycled cans these need to be 3 different sizes that fit inside each other
- 2 lids from the cans or metal pieces for the bottom of the mobile
- Floral or picture hanging wire
- Surface protector
- Craft paint or spray paint
- Paintbrush
- Ruler
Instructions
- Empty, clean and dry three metal canned pantry items.
- Find a drill bit that is just a little bigger than the wire you are using.
- Drill a hole in the middle of the bottom of each can.
- Drill holes in the sides of each can to let light through. (Random is better than a pattern.)
- In one of the can lids, drill a hole about 1/4in from the edge. (skip if you are not using can lids on the bottom)
- In a second can lid, drill a hole about ¼-inch from the edge and another one directly across from that hole to weave the wire through. (The holes should be directly across from each other, not side by side.)
- Paint the cans – they can all be the same color, pattern, etc or you can paint each one a different color.
- Allow the paint to fully dry before assembling.
ASSEMBLING THE WIND CHIME
- Get out a piece of paper to do a little math.
- Measure the length of each can, top to bottom.
- Write this down on the piece of paper and add it up.
- To that total, add 13 more inches – 5 for the top, 5 for the bottom, and 1 inch for each knot.
- Cut a piece of wire to the length of that full measurement. For me, it was 26 inches.
- Measure 9-inches from one of the ends of the wire and tie a knot.
- Thread on the smallest can to the long end of the wire, with the open end of the can pointing down.
- Measure the length of the second can and subtract ½-inch.
- From the top of the bottom can measure up that distance on the wire and tie another knot.
- Thread the second can on the long end of the wire, with the opening pointing down. It should overlap the bottom can a little.
- Measure the length of the top can and subtract ½-inch.
- From the top of the second can, measure up that distance along the wire and tie another knot.
- Thread the top can on the long end of the wire, with the opening facing down. The can should overlap the middle can.
FINISHING THE WIND CHIME
- Fold over the remaining wire in the top to make a loop. Wrap about 1-inch of the wire around itself to hold the loop.
- On the bottom wire, thread the lid that had 2 holes in it. Keep it simple, go in one hold, across the lid, and out the second hold.
- With the remaining wire, thread the other lid, with one hole, and loop back the wire.
- Wrap the end of the wire around its self to secure and hold.
- The Wind Chime should now be ready to hang.
Notes
- You need 3 cans that fit inside each other. It doesn’t matter how tall they are they just need to be able to nestle together. I used a spaghetti sauce can, green been can, and Rotel can – it doesn’t matter what was in them or how tall they are. They just need to be three concentric sizes that will fit inside each other.
- Also, focus on using up supplies or items you already have around your house – the pantry, craft closet, garage.
- If your kids are making these, you may not want to use the can lids if they have rough-cut edges. Instead, you could use anything metal that could be attached by the wire – a jelly jar ring, a canning lid, nuts/bolts, metal ruler. Just think anything that they could safely work with and not cut themselves
I mean it’s not perfect, but it’s fun and functional and something your kids will be so proud to hang up and watch all summer as you play outside.
