Searching for Spring Break Activities? Try Egg Carton Crafts!

While looking for something fun to do outdoors this Spring, I decided to recycle an egg carton into a fun craft and nature activity for my preschooler.  Egg carton crafts are simple and frugal, and you probably already have one on hand.

We recycled our egg carton into a color collector for a Nature Color Hunt. We painted the egg carton in different colors, then went on a nature walk outside to see if we could find natural items to fill each section of the egg carton. I originally found this idea in Family Fun.

Supplies for Egg Carton Color Collector

• empty egg carton
• paint & paintbrush
• nature

First, paint each well of the recycled egg carton a different color.  You can use several shades of green and brown, since you will be searching for natural items to match each color. This part of the activity turned into some color-mixing exploration for us.  We are using a 6-well egg carton, but had so much fun painting that we made 12 wells out of it.  If you use a carton from a dozen eggs, you will have a useful lid.

Once your egg carton is painted and dry, head outside for some color hunting! You can go to a park, a garden, or just walk around your neighborhood.  We stuck to our apartment complex.  Have your kids look around for something in nature for each color you painted.  You might find flowers, leaves, pinecones, berries, stones, bark, seeds, nuts, feathers, sticks, pods, etc.

Of everything green outside, Maggie picked a weed out of the street.

Did you find something natural for every color in your Egg Carton Color Collector?  We found flowers in every color of the rainbow, including white. We also found brown and black rocks, and grey feathers.

She was pretty proud of herself for finding a piece of nature in every color of the egg carton.  When we went inside, she spent some time arranging the natural items in rainbow order and playing with them.

Find more fun outdoor activity ideas, and other nature activities in the mommysavers Forums.