If you’re looking for an Easter craft that is fun and easy for kids as well as environmentally friendly, making Easter baskets out of discarded plastic milk jugs can be the perfect choice. These fun kid-friendly baskets are easy for children to decorate, although you’ll have to provide some assistance when cutting the plastic milk jug itself. Not only are these baskets cute, they are also easy for even small children to carry, thanks to the milk jug handle. These baskets are so much fun to make that you might end up making several. Here’s how to make your own cute bunny baskets to hold your child’s Easter goodies.
Materials You Will Need
For each bunny Easter basket, you will need the following materials and supplies (the supplies you need may vary, depending on what materials you choose to make your bunny from):
1 – Empty plastic gallon milk jug, thoroughly cleaned
5 – Pipe cleaners
Several pieces of felt or construction paper (white, pink and other pastel shades as desired)
2 – Round flat buttons or craft eyes with a flat back
Scissors
Awl or ice pick
Bottle of tacky craft glue
Hot glue gun (optional)
White cotton ball
Decorating accessories as desired (such as fabric scraps, glitter, markers or stickers
Black permanent marker
Preparing the Milk Jug
Wash the milk jug thoroughly with water and dishwashing soap, then dry. Position the jug on the table so that the handle is facing away from you. Using the permanent marker, draw a cutting guideline on the surface of the jug. You will want to draw a shape that is rounded at the top, but straight across the bottom. Start right in front of the handle, drawing a curved line down the right-hand side of the jug until you reach approximately the halfway point. Then, draw a similar line down the left-hand side of the jug. Connect the two lines by drawing a straight line across the middle of the jug. Using sharp scissors, cut out the inside of this shape, making sure to cut away any marks made by the permanent marker. When complete, the jug will still have its handle, but there will be an opening in front that will form the basket shape.
Decorating the Basket
Once the basket shape has been cut, your child can help decorate it. However, don’t let your child punch the holes in the basket with the awl or ice pick, as these are tasks that only adults should do. You should also not let a young child operate a hot glue gun.
Cut a large circle out of white felt or construction paper, sized so that it will fit on the front of the basket. This circle will form the bunny’s face. Using craft glue or hot glue gun, attach the felt circle to the basket front. Cut a small triangle out of pink felt or construction paper, gluing it to the center of the felt circle to form the bunny’s nose. Close to each side of the nose, use the awl or ice pick to punch three holes. Thread three pipe cleaners through these holes, forming the bunny’s whiskers. Attach the two buttons on either side of the nose to form the bunny’s eyes, or use regular craft eyes, or draw on the eyes. Fold two pipe cleaners in half, rounding them to form the bunny’s ears. Either cut out ears and glue on, or if using pipe cleaners, visually gauge where the ears should be placed and for each ear, use the awl or ice pick to punch two holes near the top edge of the basket, spaced about an inch apart. Thread each end of the pipe cleaner ear through a hole, twisting the ends together on the inside to hold in place. Glue the cotton ball on the back of the milk jug, close to the bottom, to form the bunny’s tail. Then, your child can finish decorating his or her basket as desired, using glitter, stickers, fabric scraps or other embellishments. Fill with Easter grass and candy, and enjoy.
