Back-to-school time is ideal to teach kids the values of wasting less. Our eco-minded crafts and projects have the three Rs covered: reduce, reuse, recycle. What's more, they are super fun. That's an idea everyone can get behind.

With a mixture of white bread, glue, and a few drops of lemon juice, kids can make air-dried clay beads that can be painted and strung together to create beautiful accessories.

Kids can create simple but beautiful mosaics by making geometric designs, a still life, or even a portrait using dried beans.

With a simple process, kids can make a rock collection come to life.

Kids can keep a piece of nature long after it falls.

Place two paper towels on top of a piece of cardboard. Lay a single layer of leaves on paper towels, and top with another paper towel. Repeat with remaining leaves. Top last layer of leaves with two paper towels and the second piece of cardboard. Secure tightly with bungee cord. Once home, remove the cord, and place a heavy object on top of press; let sit for at least a week. You may need to change the paper towels after a few days if leaves were wet or freshly fallen.

These seedlings are the perfect size for children when grown in a kitchen leftover.

Plant seeds according to package instructions, and nestle planters in an egg carton on a sunny windowsill, where they can be watered easily. The first leaves to sprout will be the cotyledons, or seed leaves, which supply nutrients to the young plant until the first true leaves (resembling those of the parent plant) appear. When plants have grown to about 3 inches and have at least two sets of true leaves, they are ready to be transplanted to the garden. (Remove them from the eggshells first.)

Great for a game of tag on a warm September afternoon, squishy sponge balls (made from kitchen sponges) are late summer's alternative to snowballs. They also make a family chore like car-washing more fun.

Turn a cardboard box into an easy-to-assemble set of doll furniture that your kids will love.

Help your budding musician create a banjo using a shoe box, a mailing tube, pencils, and rubber bands.

Talk about blowing away the competition! This air-powered milk-carton car needs just a huff and a puff to get its little wheels rolling.

Making this tin-can dog is a perfect project for you and your kids to do together. Almost everything you need can be found in your tool chest, kitchen cabinet, and recycling bin.

Make this lovely cardboard oven with materials from around your home.

The day after Halloween you'll probably have tons of candy left over; after you enjoy your treats, don't discard the wrappers -- you can use them in this great decoupage craft.

Flattened metal bottle caps become music-makers when affixed to paper plates.

This little piggy (bank) started off at the market as a bleach bottle.

To make one, rinse an empty bottle with hot soapy water; let dry. Cut features such as eyes, ears, and nostrils from construction paper (ears should have tabs). Attach with double-sided tape, as shown. Tape colored paper around body. Hot-glue empty thread spools on for legs. Cut a slot at the top for coins, and a hole in back to insert a pipe-cleaner tail.

These lovely notebooks are a fun activity for the whole family and a great way to recycle paper, which can make a big difference for the environment.

For a seasonal supplement to your regular bird feeder, cut a 3- to 5-pound pumpkin in half; scoop out, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick wall. Cut a 1/2-inch-deep groove in the rim for pumpkin seeds. For perches, poke holes and insert twigs. To hang, knot two lengths of twine together in center; tack knot to feeder bottom. Fill with birdseed.