Turtles from Recycled Lids
Another great way to recycle bottle caps is to craft little turtles. All you need is a piece of green construction paper, a green marker, and a bottle cap (usually green, but any color will do)! For younger children, prepare a template for the turtle's head, legs and tail ahead of time, but for older children, encourage them to design their own. It will be a test in reproduction, understanding of the turtle's shape and parts, as well as, individual creativity. If designing their own, have your students trace their bottle cap, draw the body parts, then use scissors to cut the entire shape out. Otherwise, give each student a pair of scissors to cut the previously designed template. Once complete, encourage them to use a green or black marker to add eyes and 'toes'. If your classroom is more advanced, talk to them about the divisions in a turtle's shell and invite them to reproduce it on their bottle cap turtles.
The bottle cap should then be glued to the cutout and left to dry. These make great desk decorations, bulletin board borders, or magnets to hang around the classroom!