Turn an empty egg carton into a cute little turtle with a bumpy shell, four legs, and googly eyes. This recycled craft uses supplies you probably already have at home and takes about 30 minutes. It’s a great way to talk about real turtles while you build a paper one.
Materials
Supplies:
- Cardboard egg carton
- Green construction paper or craft foam
- Green paint in two shades (one for the base, one for shell designs)
- Craft glue
- Googly eyes (or draw your own)
Tools:
- Scissors (grownup help needed)
- Paintbrush
- Marker
Don’t have two shades of green paint? Use one green and add designs with a marker instead. No craft foam? Construction paper works just as well. No googly eyes? Draw them on with a marker or cut tiny circles from white and black paper.
Steps
- Cut the shell. Cut out one single “bump” section from the egg carton. This rounded piece is your turtle’s shell.
- Paint the shell. Choose one shade of green and paint the entire outside of the shell. Set it aside to dry.
- Cut the legs. While the shell dries, cut two rectangles from green paper or foam (each about 1/2″ x 3 1/2″). Cut small triangles at both ends of each rectangle to make feet. These two strips will be your turtle’s four legs.
- Cut the head and tail. Cut one rectangle from green paper or foam, about 1″ x 4″. Trim one end into a point for the tail. Round the other end for the head. Draw or glue eyes onto the head.
- Decorate the shell. Once the first coat of paint is dry, use the second shade of green to paint designs on the shell. Try hexagonal shapes to mimic a real turtle’s shell pattern, or get creative with dots, stripes, or swirls.
- Assemble your turtle. Glue the two leg strips across the bottom of the shell so the feet stick out on both sides. Glue the head-and-tail strip down the middle so the head peeks out the front and the tail out the back. Let everything dry before picking it up.
Grownup help needed: Step 1 (cutting the egg carton) can be tough for small hands. An adult should handle the cutting. Kids can do all the painting, decorating, and gluing.
