Ready to get creative?
Once the kids have gobbled up their after-school snacks, it's time for some free range fun! Crafts, activities, and games are great ways to stimulate your children's minds stimulated before dinner while still giving them a chance to wind down after a day of learning. Whether they're older and independent enough to spend the afternoon at home alone or still need to be accompanied by an adult, there's something for them to enjoy on this list.
1. Upcycled Egg Carton Lanterns
The result of this craft is a colorful lantern that can be used to brighten up any bedroom or blanket fort, and it's entirely customizable to your kids' favorite colors. A quick trip to the craft store will give you everything you need to help your child get started. Don't forget to grab some empty Nellie's Free Range Egg cartons before they make their way to your recycling bin!
2. Egg Carton Caterpillars
Is there any afternoon that a bit of glitter, glue, and googly eyes can't brighten up? Each adorable love bug begins as an empty Nellie's Free Range Egg carton and is decorated with all the acrylic paint, pipe cleaners, glitter, and stickers you and your crafty bunch can find. After the paint has dried, these cheerful caterpillars can be brought to life on their own or made into Valentines for friends and classmates.
3. DIY Board Game
Designing your own board game requires a mini scavenger hunt for game pieces and a board, creating a great lesson in using materials you already have around your home to create something the whole family can enjoy. Encourage your children to let their minds run free as they begin to brainstorm a theme and collect treatures like acorns and pebbles from the backyard to incorporate into their DIY board game.
4. Speckled Egg Planters
Once the snow has melted and the flowers begin to bloom, it's hard to think about anything other than getting our hands dirty in the garden. Luckily, these speckled eggshell planters area a wonderful reason for crafters and gardeners of all ages to enjoy an afternoon in the fresh spring air. Made from hollowed out Nellie's Free Range eggs, each planter is painted and then filled with potting soil and fresh flowers to bring the beauty of springtime indoors.
5. Upcycled Egg Carton Floral Garland
Thanks to this easy DIY, you can add a beautiful floral accent to your home or child's room any time of year. Older kids can practice their cutting and sewing skills by preparing the tissue paper petals and leaves. This allows younger kids to hone their fine motor skills by adding dots of glue and the finishing touch to the center of each flower. Best of all, this floral garland is a great way to give our earth-friendly egg cartons new life!
6. STEM Egg Experiments
Who knew eggs were great science, technology, engineering, and math teachers? These five STEM experiments will teach your curious kids all about physics, the elements, osmosis, and air pressure in a fun way. Whether your child wants to be the next Einstein or is new to the sciences, "eggsperiments" are the best way to learn!
7. Egg Carton Butterflies
After a full day of fun in the sun, bring your kids indoors to cool off with these magical DIY butterflies. Each craft is brought to life with a touch of imagination and just a few simple supplies from around the house to teach little ones the beauty of upcycling. When finished, each butterfly craft can flutter away to become a garden decoration or a lovely handmade gift.
8. Cascarones (Confetti Eggs)
Crafting cascarones is a Mexican tradition for holidays and fiestas, and it's easy to see why: they're colorful, eye-catching, and a thrill to play with! The process begins with clean eggshells and dye. The kids can fill them up with festive confetti, then venture outside and put them to use (or better yet, surprise you when you walk through the door).
9. Scented Rainbow Bubble Station
The sky's the limit when it comes to the colors and smells you can mix up for this DIY scented bubble station. For younger kids, mixing and matching essential oil scents and the colors of the rainbow is a great sensory activity. Build yours right in an empty Nellie's Free Range egg carton, then venture outside and watch the bubbles float up, up and away.
10. Egg Carton Spiders
Add a little creepy crawly fun to your afternoons with these DIY egg carton spiders! This spooky hands-on craft is a fun way to celebrate Halloween while putting those empty Nellie's Free Range Egg cartons to good use. Made with simple supplies found around the house, this spider craft is easy to complete and sure to be a scary good time for kids and adults alike.
11. DIY Egg Carton Turkeys
Move over hand turkeys, there's a new Thanksgiving craft in town! These DIY turkeys teach kids how to upcycle empty Nellie's Free Range Egg cartons into festive Thanksgiving birds while practicing their fine motor skills through hands-on activities like cutting, gluing, and painting. Once completed, each turkey can go on to become a festive cupcake topper, decoration, or be used in place settings around your Thanksgiving table.
12. DIY Lollipop Ornaments
Homemade ornaments always add a special touch to the Christmas tree, and turning them into an afternoon craft is a wonderful way to practice skills like cutting and gluing. This year, we suggest reaching for your family's empty Nellie's Free Range Egg cartons to create meaningful memories at home while using up what you already have on hand.
13. Egg Carton Greenhouse
It just so happens that when you add a little soil and place them in a sunny spot, our planet-friendly egg cartons transform into mini greenhouses ideal for seed starting. This activity isn't just a fun way to pass the time after school; it's an opportunity to teach your little ones about everything a seedling needs to grow big and strong!
14. DIY Egg Carton Jellyfish
Jellyish are some of the most remarkle, fascinating creatures on planet Earth. Did you know that they're made almost entirely of water? Grab an empty egg carton and keep the learning going after hours with your kiddos by celebrating our wonderful planet and all its inhabitants.
15. DIY Pumpkin Patch Greeting Cards
Whether it's the beginning of a new school year or already Thanksgiving break, help your kiddos write a thank you card to their teachers with this adorable pumpkin patch greeting card activity.
16. Egg-Shaped DIY Sidewalk Chalk
From mixing the materials to covering the driveway with rainbows and playing hopscotch under the spring sun, every step involved in this DIY egg-shaped sidewalk chalk encourages creativity and free range play!
17. DIY Egg Carton Snowman
Frosty and Nellie make a pretty cute pair, don't they? Add to the excitement in the days leading up to the holiday break by helping the kids make their own egg carton snowmen while you tune in to your family's favorite holiday movies after school.
18. DIY Egg Carton Jack O' Lanterns
Wondering how to minimize your Halloween footprint? Turn our 100% recycled egg cartons into these adorable upcycled jack o' lanterns that can serve as spooky seasonal décor year after year!
19. DIY Egg Carton Flower Bouquet
Kids of all ages will love crafting a special bouquet for their classmates, friends, teachers, and maybe even that schoolyard crush. For this after school activity, all you'll need are a few items from the craft closet and some empty egg cartons.
20. DIY Egg Carton American Flag
With some red, white, and blue paint, anything is possible: in a few easy steps, transform your empty egg carton into a flag to keep the American history lesson going after school's out for the day.
