Egg Carton Litter Bug
Turn recycling time into craft time with this fun Egg Carton Litter Bug craft. Kids can transform an old egg carton and a few bits of leftover packaging into a silly bug full of personality. No two litter bugs will ever look exactly the same, which makes this a great open-ended craft for home, school, or scout groups.
This is also a wonderful way to show children how everyday items can be reused in creative ways instead of being thrown away. Let them mix, match, and invent their own little bug friend from recycled supplies.
Supplies
- Empty, clean, dry egg carton
- Removable glue dots for testing placements
- Craft glue dots for final assembly
- Mini glue dots
- Recycled materials such as:
- Foam from packaging
- Gift bag handles
- Plastic milk jug ring
- Clean #6 plastic deli container for shrink art
- Buttons or other small found objects
- Kid-friendly marker
- Scissors
Instructions
- Cut apart the egg carton so you have individual sections to use for the bug’s body.
- Glue the egg carton sections together to form the shape of your litter bug. You can make a long bug, a round bug, or any silly shape you like. Use removable glue dots first if the kids want to experiment before choosing their final design.
- Create a face for your bug. You can make one from shrink art using clean #6 plastic, or use found objects like mismatched buttons and small recycled pieces.
- Attach the face to the front of the egg carton body with mini glue dots.
- Cut claw shapes or other fun details from foam packaging pieces. Glue them onto the body.
- Cut gift bag handles to make legs. Attach them to the sides of the bug with craft glue dots.
- Cut a plastic milk jug ring in half to make antennae. Attach them to the top of the head.
- Use a kid-friendly marker to draw on extra details like a smile, spots, stripes, or funny eyebrows.
Fun Tips
Let kids sort through a small pile of clean recyclables before they begin so they can plan their bug design.
This craft works especially well as a recycling lesson for Earth Day or classroom activities about reusing materials.
Encourage kids to name their litter bug and share what recycled items they used to make it.
Patterns, Templates and Printables
This craft does not require a printable template. Gather your recycled materials and let kids design their own one-of-a-kind litter bug.
Teacher Friendly Educational Extension
This craft is a fun way to introduce the ideas of reduce, reuse, and recycle. After making their bugs, have children talk about which materials were reused and where those items might normally end up. You can also turn this into a writing activity by asking each child to write a few sentences about their bug’s name, habitat, and favorite recycled snack. For a classroom display, line up all of the finished bugs on a bulletin board with a message about protecting the Earth.
Supplies
Removable Glue Dots (for testing, or indecisive kids)
Craft Glue Dots (for final placement, or kids who will play heavily with the bug)
Mini Glue Dots
Empty, clean and dry egg carton
Objects destined for recycling (foam from packaging, handles from a gift bag, plastic ring from milk jug, #6 plastic deli container for shrink art)
Kid-friendly marker
Instructions
Cut individual segment from egg carton for ‘body’ of bug.
Use Craft Glue Dots to adhere the egg carton segments together to form the body of the bug.
Make shrink art face pieces from the #6 plastic or use other found objects such as mismatched buttons to create the face.
Adhere face art to front of egg carton with Mini Glue Dots.
Cut ‘claw’ shapes from foam pieces used in packaging, such as packing peanuts.
Adhere 'claws' to body with Craft Glue Dots.
Cut off gift bag handles and adhere egg carton body with Craft Glue Dots to create bug legs.
Cut apart plastic ring in half to form antennae and adhere to head with Craft Glue Dots.
Have the kids draw extra details with a kid-friendly marker.
This craft reprinted courtesy of Glue Dots.
Contributor
Glue Dots® Adhesives – The New Way to Glue™! Consumers have found endless uses for Glue Dots around the home, school, and office. Glue Dots adhesives are acid-free, lignin-free, non-toxic, easy-to-use, and require no dry time. Glue Dots adhesives provide a strong, versatile and safe adhesive solution that can be used by the entire family. Use Glue Dots adhesives for school projects, home décor, and around the office – the possibilities are endless!
Wonderful crafts. The children will love it!!. Thanks a lot