Dive into the deep blue sea of egg carton crafting and create a splash with our recycled floating egg carton whales. Not only will your kids have a whale of a time making these adorable creatures, but they’ll also be doing their part to save the planet by reusing egg cartons.
Whale, whale, whale, what do we have here? An eco-friendly craft that’s a whale of a time and a great way to teach kids about recycling and taking care of our oceans! Say hello to our new miniature marine buddy – Luna, the floating egg carton whale!
This crafty project is perfect for your little environmentalists, encouraging them to repurpose egg cartons and turn them into adorable ocean-dwelling friends. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to remind them that every little bit counts when saving our planet.
You might be thinking, “Egg-sactly how is this egg-straordinary activity so beneficial to our little ones…?” (I apologize in advance for the whale-sized volume of puns I felt obligated to include). As your kids create their adorable aquatic masterpieces, they’ll also be flexing their creative muscles.
Cutting, painting, and assembling the egg carton whales encourages hand-eye coordination and precision, and adding a floating element adds in a side of science, making our little Luna a STEAM-powered wonder.
Click the short video below to watch our egg cup whale bob around a mini sensory ocean tray!
Our miniature egg carton baby Beluga (to be exact) is a cinch to make, so you can create a whole pod – even different species, depending on the colors you use and the shapes of your egg carton cups.
This sweet little recycled whale craft ended up being a fantastic STEAM-learning opportunity and a fun way for kids to participate in creating a bit of science in action!
For an endless sea of underwater fun, visit our curated collection of over 40 ocean crafts and activities for kids!
To make your own floating egg carton whale, you’ll need:
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- An egg carton cup + a small square of egg carton
- White, gray, or blue paint and a paintbrush
- A baby food jar lid
- A small piece of blue construction paper or cardstock
- Craft glue or a hot glue gun
- An X-Acto knife or small pair of craft scissors
- A permanent marker, black paper, or googly eyes
OCEAN SENSORY BIN SUPPLIES:
- A baking dish filled with water (this makes a quick and easy “ocean!)
- A blue sheet of paper (slip this under your baking dish to instantly create a blue-tinted ocean without having to add food coloring to your water)
- Shells, sand, or other beachy nature items to add to your ocean tray
How to make an Egg Carton Whale Kids Craft – DIY Instructions:
Cut an egg cup from the carton and paint.
Cut an egg cup from an egg carton and paint it white, gray, or blue (depending on the type of whale you’re making).
Cut out a whale tail and paint.
Cut a simple whale tail shape from your egg carton and paint the same color as your egg carton cup – we used a portion of the egg carton box that had already been formed into a bend).
Glue the tail to the back of your egg carton cup.
Once your whale pieces have dried, use a hot glue gun or craft glue to glue the tail to the back of your whale.
Add a water spout on top.
For the water spout, cut a small rectangle of blue paper.
Cut thin lines into the paper, about 1/8″ from each other and about 1/8″ from the bottom edge.
Use a hot glue gun or craft glue to affix to the middle of the whale, as shown.
Draw on eyes and a mouth.
Draw eyes and a mouth with a permanent marker.
Pop your finished whale into a baby jar lid.
Gently pop your egg carton whale into a baby food jar lid – now it will float!
How to Make an Ocean Sensory Bin
As we did earlier this week for our duck pond sensory bin, we popped our handmade beluga into a glass pan filled with clear water. Use food coloring in the water, or tuck a sheet of blue paper underneath to tint the water ocean-blue without dyes.
You can toss a little salt in your water, turn on a fan, and play soothing wave sounds in the background to create the full ocean experience – saltwater breeze and all! Add a moon sand beach, cardboard sailboat, shells, small succulents, or other natural details for more sensory play.
Six ways to play and learn with your floating egg carton whale craft
Here are a few ideas for using your miniature whale to play, learn, or initiate critical discussions about climate and conservancy…
1. Set up an egg carton whale migration game.
Use a large container or bathtub to create a migration path for the floating egg carton whales. Teach kids about whale migration patterns and have them guide the whales through the water using straws to blow them along their journey. This activity combines learning about animal behavior with fun playtime.
2. Become a whale expert.
The World Wildlife Fund has handy online whale fact cards, photos, and videos for every member of the whale species (oh heeey, Narwhal…!). And Whale and Dolphin Conservation has great free printable activity sheets and workbooks to help your littles learn about everything from whale features and behaviors to biomimicry and whaleboats. The Maui Ocean Center’s ocean education classroom is another favorite online resource of mine.
3. Go (virtual) whale-watching.
Explore.org has a variety of live cams and past footage of Orcas, Belugas, and more. You can catch the Beluga cam up in Manitoba, Canada, every July! The Pacific Whale Foundation also offers scheduled virtual whale-watching tours for Pre-K – 12th-grade classrooms (I went on one of their whale-watching tours in Maui and saw not 1, not 2, but 3 humpback whales – AH-MAZING experience).
4. Discuss ocean conversation.
Looking for ways to use this beyond a sensory bin or cool floating lesson? This is a wonderful opportunity to initiate a conversation about whale conservation, how we keep our oceans clean, the dangers of plastics to ocean life, or general habitat health. NOAA has a “Just For Kids” page filled with activities you can use to discuss issues like oil spills, marine sanctuaries, climate science, and more.
5. Learn about different ocean habitats.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has created an excellent online resource with lots of good information to help your kids explore all the unique types of ocean homes. How could you recreate or represent these habitats in your own mini-ocean setup?
6. Pair your egg carton whale with music or whale sounds.
To get you in the proper whale-crafting headspace, turn up this Raffi playlist for solid Beluga jams. (You can find a kids’ activity or craft to go along with ALL of your favorite Raffi songs with our Raffi song + project collection here)! Or opt for some ambient underwater whale sounds.
More Egg Carton Crafts for Kids
Earlier this week, we made a set of recycled egg carton ducklings and shared our little trick to help them float. In fact, they were such an incredible hit that they inspired this floating egg carton whale!
For another fun egg carton activity, grab some play dough and try these simple turtle playdough invitations to play.
For a different type of environmentally-friendly egg carton craft, make your own mini fairy greenhouse egg carton seed starters.
GETTING READY TO TRY this?
I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
