In celebration of Earth Day, we like to read Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax”, a tale of the Once-ler and how he cuts down all the wonderful Truffula trees against the wishes of their guardian, the Lorax. I’ve always loved the colorful and imaginative scenes in Dr. Seuss’ books. It’s no surprise then that the Truffula trees in this one inspired the perfect Earth Day craft: making Truffula trees out of recycled craft supplies!

Supplies

  • Pompoms (or yarn to make your own)
  • Buttons
  • Paper straws
  • Twine
  • Scissors
  • Tapestry needle (sometimes referred to as a kids’ needle)

An alternative to pompoms and paper straws is tissue paper and plastic straws. You would still get the variety of color, and you could use the tissue paper to make different styles of trees. Just a tip: don’t put a yarn pompom on a plastic straw. They aren’t as strong as the paper straws and can’t hold the weight.

Making the Trees

The basic concept behind these trees is that the straw is the tree trunk, the pompom is the branches and leaves, and the buttons and twine hold it all together.

Step 1: Cut a length of twine that is about 2′ and thread it through the paper straw.

Step 2: Thread the twine through the tapestry needle and use it to pass the twine through the pompom and out the other side.

Step 3: Take the twine off the tapestry needle and thread it through a button. This is to help keep the twine looped through the pompom and not accidentally slide back through. Think of it as a stop-gap!

Step 4: Thread the twine back onto the tapestry needle and thread the needle and twine back through the pompom.

Step 5: Taking the twine off of the tapestry needle, thread it back through the straw so that both sides of the length you cut are passed through the straw and coming out together at the same end.

Step 6: Pull the twine tight so that the button on top sits snug on the pompom.

Your Truffula tree should now look like this with the twine sticking out of the bottom of the paper straw:

Step 7: Thread the twine sticking out of the straw through a button. This will help hold it in place at the opposite end, i.e. your other stop-gap.

Step 8: Pull the twine tight and tie it in a knot. You can then trim the ends.

Voila! You have your very own Truffula tree!

Make a few more so you can have your very own Truffula forest of trees! The more colors and variety, the better. If you don’t have premade pompoms on hand, you can easily make your own with scrap yarn. In fact, using scrap yarn is another earth-friendly way of recycling, and there are tons of easy “how to” videos on the internet that show you how to make them. We reference our favorite video in DIY Easter Egg Garland.

The great thing about yarn is there are even MORE colors and textures of yarn than there are premade pompoms. Check out this handmade beauty made from yarn scraps:

Now that your Truffula trees are ready, assemble them in a vase with filler (aquarium gravel, marbles, acrylic gems, etc.) to hold them in place. Arrange, admire, and pat yourself on the back for turning some supply scraps into a beautiful statement on Earth Day. You might want to keep these up year-round… or at least keep them handy for your next Dr. Seuss party!

Happy event-ing! And thank you, Dr. Seuss, for your wonderful and inspiring tales like “The Lorax”!