Egg Carton Games & Crafts

Chances are that after all the Easter festivities are over you’ll have a lot of egg cartons that you don’t want to stash in the trash so here are some fun craft projects and even a game that you can make with egg cartons.

Pot of Tulips

from CareFreeCrafts.com

 

This craft is a fun activity for a child’s birthday party or mom’s and daughters tea party. The girls can make their own table centerpieces, then take them home afterwards.

Materials for each pot:

  • 4 to 6 separate sections from a paper egg carton
  • 4 to 6 green pipe cleaners or wooden craft sticks
  • paint or markers
  • glue
  • plastic, Styrofoam or paper cup
  • popcorn kernels, rice, beans or coffee beans

Cut apart the egg carton so that each section is a separate little cup. Cut a V into the middle of each side of each egg carton section so it looks like a tulip. Repeat for each section. Decorate the tulips with paint and/or markers. Set aside to dry.

Pipe Cleaner Stems

Shape one end of a green pipe cleaner into a U shape.

Glue the U end of the pipe cleaner onto the bottom of the tulip. Set aside to dry. Repeat for all tulips.

Craft Stick Stems

Paint both sides of all craft sticks green or color with markers. Set tulip bottom side down on a safe cutting surface. Use a craft knife to cut a slit in the middle bottom. Draw a bead of glue along slot. Slide green craft stick through slot. Set aside to dry. Repeat for each tulip.

While waiting for tulips to dry decorate your plastic, Styrofoam or paper cup with paint and/or markers. This will be your tulip “pot”.

Fill the cup with unpopped popcorn kernels, rice, beans or coffee beans. Stand your tulips up inside the cup for a pretty spring decoration.

 

Dress Up Shoes

Open an egg carton and cut away (lengthwise) roughly half of the bottom of the carton (the side with the bumps). Close the carton and have your child put his/her foot in the hole to see if the hole is the right size. Cut away some more if needed and when the “shoe” fits, slip it off. Decorate so that the shoe fit’s your child’s dress up costume. When your child is ready to wear her new “shoes” tape the carton shut.

 

Mancala

This is a game for two players. I’ve played it successfully with children as young as five years old. I like to keep the lid attached to the bottom so I can pack the Mancala game away with all the pieces stored inside, but if you find the top gets in the way of playing the game you can remove it then when the game is over place it over the bottom and secure with a rubber band.

Decorate the bottom portion of the carton if you like – or don’t – it’s not necessary.

Place a small container at each end of the carton. Containers do not need to be attached to the carton. If you’re playing with a young child you may find it advantageous to label the each player’s container with his or her name. These containers are called Mancala’s.

To Play: Sit across from your opponent and place the carton between the two of you so that your Mancala is to your right and your opponent’s Mancala is to your left. Fill each egg section with four tokens (peanuts, buttons, large beads or beans, Tip: experience suggests that chocolate chips don’t work well). The object of the game is to collect the most tokens in your Mancala.

We usually start by allowing the youngest player to go first. Player 1 picks up all tokens in any one bin on his side of the game, which is the row facing him. Player 1 places a token in the bin to the right of the empty bin and continues dropping tokens one by one counterclockwise. If he reaches his Mancala, he drops a token in the container and continues dropping tokens into his opponent’s side until all tokens in his hand are distributed. Do not drop a token in your opponent’s Mancala.

If your last token ends in your Mancala you get to go again.

If your last token lands on your side of the game in an empty section you can take all of your opponent’s tokens from his section that is directly opposite your previously empty bin. Place captured tokens in your Mancala.

When all sections from one side of the game are empty, the game is over. The player with the most tokens in his Mancala wins!

 

Egg Carton Crafting on Mega Drive!

Artist Makes Challenger II Tank From 5,016 Egg Cartons For Charity

Get crafting!

Egg Carton Organizers

Because I love to organize (Hello, my name is Kat and I’m an organizing maniac) I love egg cartons. They’re just the perfect little thing to organize all kinds of life’s little accoutrements and they come with a lid – just too perfect. Unfortunately they’re not the prettiest things around so I like to decorate my egg carton organizers. I’m without my camera for the moment so I’ll post some decorated egg cartons I found posted by some very craft (and organized) bloggers.

painted with foam letters

a more grownup version of the painted carton

decoupaged with gift wrap

Organizing Ideas

desk drawer or desktop organizer

 

 

The above pic could just as easily be storing small craft supplies or the supplies for a project you’re working on. This makes it easy to move a craft project to different areas of the home. You can start working on your project while watching your kids in the wading pool, then move it to the family room after dinner without having to spend time gathering up all your small items. The bonus is that the top of the carton, when opened, serves as a work tray.

I’ve also used egg cartons to store and organize:

  • jewelry – I like to keep small gold earrings in one section, small silver earrings in another section, pearl earrings in another section, dressy rings in one section, everyday rings in another section, etc. This makes it so much easier to find the jewelry I want when I want it. To get even more mileage out of your carton line the top with Styrofoam and poke lapel pins or earrings through the foam.
  • hair accessories
  • small toys
  • a back seat entertainment center – store small toys and leave the closed carton in the car
  • If you have a dozen or more of something and it’s small enough to fit in an egg carton then go for it!

 

egg carton ribbon organizer

ribbons

 

Christmas ornaments 

almost impossible to spill paint palette

nuts & bolts & screws & ...