DIY Nativity Scene with Recycled Materials

The nativity scene lends itself very well to creative recycling: there are a series of materials, intended for waste, that can instead be very effective and useful for an original and simple nativity scene. Plastic bottles like those for mineral water, polystyrene recovered from packaging, cardboard and card scraps, corks, even pine cones fallen from trees.

Index of topics

The cave with a cardboard box

A first step concerns the Nativity cave, for which the simplest solution is a box of cardboard.

Use a cardboard box, such as one that used to contain a pair of shoes, as a base.
Cut out a facade and shape it by folding and gluing to create the “cave effect”.
Cover it with crumpled newspaper and paint it a brownish color.

Lights with plastic bottles

Just make small strips from the plastic bottle and wrap them around classic nativity scene lights (preferably LED): this material diffuses the light well and creates a beautiful effect.
You can also string the lights inside a bottle filled with transparent paper: it becomes a lamp to place near the cave.

Little houses made from leftover cardboard and cardstock

For the classic nativity scene houses, however, there is nothing better than cardboard and cardstock.

Cardboard can be an excellent material for creating an elegant nativity scene. First, draw a template you like, or perhaps print one found online, cut out all the outlines, and then trace them onto a thick enough piece of cardstock.
After that, cut out the outlines and internal parts again with a cutter. In the end, you will have many pieces to "assemble" and to make the context more realistic, Place some raffia in front of the manger to resemble hay and light it with fairy lights for a magical touch.

Huts and characters made of polystyrene

even the polystyrene It's perfect for creating an original nativity scene. Take a piece of styrofoam of the desired size, a cutter, and some hot glue. Use the cutter to carve out the shape of the hut along the depth of the styrofoam. Draw the outlines on the styrofoam sheet and cut out the characters.

Pine cones for the characters

If you have collected some pine cones with your children, also perfect for other Christmas decorationsAdd a painted wooden ball to represent the face, and make the capes out of felt. Decorate with other details, like stars and painted wood trees, and you're done.

Animals with cork and plastic caps

Cork bottle caps, or even plastic ones, can be used as raw material for making sheep, donkeys, and oxen, as well as camels and rams. Always add scraps of paper, wool, or cotton to cover the animals.

The nativity scene with the Das

If you have some at home The If you have any leftover clay, and you're reasonably skilled at working with it, use it to make your nativity scene. Form little balls to serve as the heads of your characters, then smooth the bodies with a spatula and create the capes. Use a larger piece of clay to build the cave, using water to keep the clay from drying out in your hands. Once you've completed the entire setting, assemble the pieces using glue and then paint with tempera paints. Once the paint is dry, varnish everything.

How to make a nativity scene with recycled materials