moon cover

Make It With Miss Rachel
Egg Carton Critters

Inspired by last week’s frog storytime, I’ve got a fun, adaptable craft using the ever-reliable, always recyclable egg carton! I made a frog, but please feel free to use the techniques and whatever materials you have around to create whatever creature strikes your imagination!

Here are the supplies I used.  If you don’t have paint, substitute crayons, markers, or even chalk. I used slightly stiff index cards for my embellishments, but regular printer paper, cardboard, cardstock, or even thin Styrofoam could also work. Remember, there are no wrong answers in art, and sometimes finding solutions to problems or incorporating mistakes into the final piece can be part of the fun and learning!

First, cut or tear your egg carton apart into individual segments. 

Trim off the ragged edges if you’re feeling picky! Then line up a pair of segments like a hinged, chompy jaw.

Tape the hinge together at one point, inside and out for strength. I used masking tape, but anything you have around is fine—even paper and glue. This will be your critter’s body. If you don’t want it to have an open mouth, you can also simply jam the two halves together, nesting one inside the other.

Paint or color your creature’s body! While it dries, draw some body parts on paper. It’s important to turn the paper over and color on both sides. If you want anything to stand up, add some little square “tabs” to your drawing, like I did with my frog’s eyes. (I will explain what to do with them in the next step!) and then cut all the shapes out.

Fold the extra “tab” paper underneath your eyballs and glue them in place. It should allow your eyes to stick up!

For some added fun, I colored a strip of paper pink, curled it around a pen, and glued it inside my frog’s mouth. I folded a scrap of green fabric in half, cut a teardrop shape, and created a lily pad for my creature to sit on , and ta-da! A frog and habitat!

 

What other silly creatures can you make out of egg cartons? Here’s a jellyfish and a fun monster I made out of my scraps.

Looking for more fun art projects? Try out Creativebug, our new database of online art and craft instruction videos, accessible with your library card here! Have any questions about this project? Want to show us what you made? Email us at childrenslibrary@einetwork.net, or tag us on Instagram (@mtlebanonlibrary) or Twitter (@mlplkids) with the hashtag #mlplmake. We’d love to hear from you!

www.mtlebanonlibrary.org

Twitter: @mlplkids
Insta: @mtlebanonlibrary
Friend us on Facebook

Contact Us

Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412-531-1912x4

Childrenslibrary@einetwork.net


,

Unsubscribe