Crafts for Reusing Egg Cartons

By Scarlet

When the kids and I feel like doing a craft together, we try to reuse something from our recycling bin whenever possible. Here are several ideas for kid’s crafts that reuse your egg cartons.

1.    Desk Tray. An egg carton actually makes a great little sorting tray for the desk, kid’s jewelry, sewing threads and buttons, beads, small toys and more. There are lots of ways your kids can have fun decorating the egg carton. Letting your child paint the carton is a fun, easy way to make the egg carton look pretty. Other options include wrapping the top of the carton with wrapping paper that you want to reuse and painting the bottom.

2.    Caterpillar. Just cut the bottom off the egg carton and then slice the bottom in half lengthwise. You will now have two caterpillar bodies. The kids can have fun painting them however they like. When the paint is dry, paint a face on the front end and add antenna if you like. Another variation of this is to cut the bottom into three egg segments for an ant's body and decorate. There are all kinds of variations on animals you might make with a little imagination.

3.    Flowers. The bottom tray egg cups can be cut out individually and then cut down to the bottom flat circle to create petals. The petals and centers can be painted and then glued down for 3D flowers on drawings and painting or to create a heart out of flowers. These egg carton flowers could also be glued to leftover Popsicle sticks and stuck into an extra flower pot with sand at the bottom to hold them up as a pretty bouquet.

4.    Paint trays. If you have egg trays that are plastic or foam, you can use them as paint cups for mixing colors.

5.    Mancala Game Board. An egg tray is actually a lot like a Mancala Game Board. Just cut the top of the egg tray off and cut it in half. These two halves of the top of the carton can serve as the large Mancala space and be a set of each end of the bottom egg tray. Next get some dried beans, enough to put four into each egg cup and then play the game with the normal Mancala instructions.

6.    Seed starter. I don't think this one is really a craft but the kids will love it anyway! Fill each egg cup with potting soil and let the kids drop a bean into each one. I suggest beans because they grow rapidly, sprout well, and are probably already in your pantry but you could of course use any seed. Set on a tray, water lightly and set in the sun.

There are so many inventive ways to use egg cartons! What is your favorite craft that you have done with your child to reuse something from the recycling bin?