How To Make An Egg Carton Turtle Craft

March 20, 2026

Jump to Guide·Print Guide·Leave a Review

egg cartons cut and painted green to look like turtles

This egg carton turtle craft uses an empty egg carton to create an adorable recycled turtle craft. These turtles are a great way to reuse materials that would otherwise be thrown away. You can use this recycled craft at any time of the year, but it would be the perfect Earth Day craft.

I love to pair this egg carton turtle craft with my Earth Day bean mosaic craft because they both pair together perfectly. We paint the beans for the mosaic and while they dry we move on to our turtle craft. This allows us to focus on one way we can protect our Earth – protecting the animals on our planet. Plus, if we are looking for more fun Earth Day crafts, we look at this list.

materials to make the egg carton turtles

What You’ll Need For This Egg Carton Turtle Craft:

Egg carton cups (1 per turtle)
Dark green acrylic paints
Light green acrylic paint for the spots
Colorful fuzzy chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners) for the head
Small green pom-poms for legs
Googly eyes
PVA glue or hot glue (for a stronger hold)
Scissors
Paint Brushes
Cup of Water

Step-By-Step Instructions For This Recycled Craft

1. Prepare the shell

To start, cut out one cup from the egg carton and trim any uneven edges so the shell looks neat.

2. Paint it

Use the darker green paint to paint the entire shell. Let it dry before adding small light green spots on the shell. Let the shell dry completely before moving on.

egg carton cut into cups and painted green

3. Make the head

Take a green pipe cleaner and twist it into a tight round shape to form the head. Trim and tuck in any loose ends for a clean look. Then, glue the googly eyes onto the pipe cleaner head and let them set.

pipe cleaners rolled into a ball with googly eyes glued on next to egg carton cups painted green

4. Attach the head and legs

Glue the finished head to the front of the shell. Then, glue 4 small green pom-poms to the underside — these are the legs. The pom poms won’t actually act as legs (a.k.a. the egg carton won’t stand on top of the pom poms). Instead, glue them on the side of the carton toward the bottom.

5. Final touches
Make sure all the pieces are securely attached before handling or moving. If wanted, add in extra details to your turtle, such as glitter.

Notes and Variations for This Egg Carton Turtle Craft

Mix it up. Kids can decorate their turtle with different colors and designs. This craft is meant to be fun and it’s okay if the turtles don’t look like actual turtles. Funky colors and designs allow kids to express their creativity!

Ensure it is dry. Make sure that the paint and the body parts are all fully dry before moving on. If not, you’ll smear the paint or loose a body part!

Books About Turtles

If you know me, you know that I always incorporate reading into everything I do, whether it’s crafting or baking. There’s always time to read a good book, so I incorporate it in my daily routine. If you’re using this craft for Earth Day, I highly suggest Turtles by National Geographic because it showcases real turtles and gives kids real facts about them. They also have The Nature Kid’s Guide To Turtles that is fantastic! There are definitely a bunch of great Earth Day fiction books out there, but don’t forget to include non-fiction as well!

If you’re looking for Earth Day books, try some of these:

The Crayons Love Our Planet (The Crayons Celebrate)

~~$9.99~~ $5.31