Make an egg carton treasure chest for a fun pirate craft to hold found items or create a pirate-themed scavenger hunt.
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Egg cartons are a great craft supply. If you’ve been saving paper egg boxes and wondering what to do with them, grab a few craft supplies and turn one into a treasure chest.
All you need is some craft paint, glue, and some shiny embellishments to decorate!
Make a pirate’s treasure chest as part of a week of themed summer camp activities. Or craft as a family, then send the kids on a backyard treasure hunt.
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Egg carton craft tips
- Are egg cartons safe for crafts?
Yes – we’ve never heard of anyone getting salmonella from crafting with egg cartons, but it’s not impossible. If your egg carton is clean and dry, it’s probably safe to use. Alternatively, you can purchase new empty cardboard egg cartons on Amazon! - What kind of egg cartons are good for crafts?
We used a cardboard egg carton for our treasure chest. Styrofoam is more common but will melt when spraypainted (and paint doesn’t stick to it as well). Additionally, any size egg carton will work. - How do you glue things to egg cartons?
We like a glue gun for most crafts. You can find low temp glue guns wherever you purchase craft supplies. Craft glue will also work, but may take time to dry.
How to make an egg carton treasure chest
We chose to use brown paint to resemble wood and silver for the treasure chest hardware. You can use any colors your child likes, or even different materials.
Supplies
- newspaper, to protect your craft table
- cardboard egg carton, empty and clean
- craft paint – brown and silver
- small paintbrushes
- wood buttons
- silver craft ribbon
- scissors
- low temp glue gun and glue
Instructions
1. Paint the egg carton brown.
Lay newspaper on your table to protect it from paint drips. Use a paintbrush to paint the outside of the carton brown. Add a second coat if necessary, then let it dry completely, about 10 minutes.
2. Paint the buttons silver.
While the egg carton dries, use a small brush to paint the wood buttons silver. Let them dry completely, about 5 minutes.
3. Attach ribbons to the carton.
When the paint is dry, it’s time to assemble the egg carton treasure chest. Cut pieces of ribbon to cross the lid of the box and glue them down.
4. Attach buttons to the carton.
Glue a painted button to the end of each ribbon.
Finally, fill your treasure chest with whatever you like!
Kids love collecting small items, so they could use this egg carton treasure chest to hold toys, rocks, or other small treasures.
You could also make this to use with other pirate-themed activities. Fill the treasure chest with play coins and bead jewelry, then hide it in the backyard. Give kids a map to search for the treasure!
Printable instructions
Egg Carton Treasure Chest
Materials
- newspaper, to protect your craft table
- cardboard egg carton, empty and clean
- craft paint - brown and silver
- small paintbrushes
- wood buttons
- silver craft ribbon
- scissors
- hot glue gun and glue
Instructions
- Paint the egg carton brown. Lay newspaper on your table to protect it from paint drips. Use a paintbrush to paint the outside of the carton brown. Add a second coat if necessary, then let it dry completely, about 10 minutes.
- Paint the button silver. While the egg carton dries, use a small brush to paint the wood buttons silver. Let them dry completely, about 5 minutes.
- Attach ribbons and buttons to the carton. When the paint is dry, it's time to assemble the egg carton treasure chest. Cut pieces of ribbon to cross the lid of the box and glue them down. Glue a button to the end of each ribbon.
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