Looking for a fun and easy way to repurpose those leftover egg cartons? Look no further than this egg carton caterpillar craft! This activity is perfect for den meetings, playdates, or just a fun afternoon at home with your kids.
To get started, you’ll need a few simple materials. For each caterpillar, you’ll need six “cups” from a cardboard egg carton, a 12 inch piece of string, assorted bright colored paints, paintbrushes, 2 googly eyes, glue, and a bright colored chenille stem (pipecleaner). You’ll also need a pair of scissors to punch holes and make the head of the caterpillar.
First, punch a hole with scissors on opposite sides of four of the egg carton cups. For the remaining two cups, just punch a hole on one side – these will be the end sections of the caterpillar. Next, thread the string through the holes in the cups so all six cups are attached in a line. Knot off the string inside the two end cups so it doesn’t come out. When knotting off, leave a little slack in the string so the caterpillar can “bend” a little bit.
Now it’s time to paint the egg carton caterpillar! Let the scouts mix some of the paint colors together if they want to do one of the requirements about mixing primary colors. Give each scout a caterpillar and let him or her paint it. After the paint dries, have the scout poke the chenille stem into the head so he has two antenna sticking out the top. Have him twist the chenille stem so the antenna are curly. It might be easiest to let him curl the stem by wrapping it around a pencil.
Finally, let him or her glue the eyes on the egg carton caterpillar. And there you have it – a cute and colorful egg carton caterpillar! This activity is great for promoting creativity and fine motor skills in kids, and it’s an excellent way to use up those extra egg cartons that might otherwise go to waste. So next time you’re looking for a fun and easy craft project, give the egg carton caterpillar craft a try!
Egg Carton Caterpillar
Materials: (per caterpillar)
- 6 “cups” from a cardboard egg carton
- 1 12 inch piece of string
- Assorted bright colored paints
- Paintbrushes
- 2 googly eyes
- glue
- 1 bright colored chenille stem (pipecleaner)
- scissors
Instructions:
Do 1, 2, and 3 beforehand for younger scouts
- In four of the egg carton cups, use scissors to punch a hole on opposite sides of each cup. In the remaining two cups, punch a hole on just one side. These cups will be the end sections of the caterpillar.
- Thread the string through the holes in the cups so all six cups are attached in a line. Knot off the string inside the two end cups so it doesn’t come out. When knotting off, leave a little slack in the string so the caterpillar can “bend” a little bit.
- Use the scissors to poke a hole in the top of the cup that will be the caterpillar’s head.
- Give each scout a caterpillar and let them paint it.
- After the paint dries, have the scout poke the chenille stem into the head so they have two antenna sticking out the top.
- Have them twist the chenille stem so the antenna are curly. It might be easiest to let them curl the stem by wrapping it around a pencil.
- Let them glue the eyes on the caterpillar.
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