Recycling an egg carton into this desert diorama is a fun activity for kids. Try making this egg carton desert. Kids will love making the paper roll cacti too!
RELATED: Egg Carton Jungle
Egg Carton Desert Craft
Save your egg cartons and you can make small little play scenes. This is our desert diorama scene from my book Cut & Color Crafts for Kids. There is also a jungle, castle and egg carton vegetable patch in the book! See the egg carton jungle and egg carton vegetable patch too!
If you don’t have the book, kids can draw their own animals and leaves.
My book – Cut & Color Crafts for Kids: 35 Super Cool Activities That Bring Recycled Materials to Life is bursting with easy crafts and activities like this one. You get all of the templates in the back of the book. You just need to cut, color and create with everyday objects that you have at home!
Watch the Video Tutorial!
Supplies to Make an Egg Carton Desert
- Desert cut-outs (from the book Cut & Color Crafts for Kids)
- Scissors
- Coloring supplies – such as markers, paints, colored pencils or crayons
- Egg carton (12 count)
- 2 paper rolls
- Glue
- Orange, yellow and tan paint
- To make tan paint from brown, just mix a small amount of brown with white paint.
- Cardboard (optional)
How to Make an Egg Carton Desert
1. Cut out and color the desert cut-outs from Cut & Color Crafts for Kids.
This sample project was colored with markers.
If you do not have the book kids can also draw their own desert animals.
2. Paint the egg carton.
Paint the bottom of the egg carton tan to look like sand. For the lid of the egg carton, start with orange on the bottom of the lid and blend yellow as you paint upwards to make it look like a sunset.
3. Make the paper roll cacti.
Wrap the green cardstock around the paper rolls to measure for size. Cut out the cardstock and glue it to the rolls. (You can also paint the paper rolls green.)
Trace the cacti branch templates on the green cardstock to make 2 pieces for each paper roll. Cut them out. Glue the cacti branch pieces to the sides of the paper roll cacti.
4. Paint white x marks on the paper roll cacti.
5. Make the paper grass.
Trace the grass template on the light green cardstock to make 4 grass pieces. Cut them out.
6. Set-up the desert scene.
Place the cacti in the outside egg cups. Glue the snake to the back edge of the bottom of the egg carton. Glue the turkey vulture to one of the cones. Or, leave the animals loose to play with them. Place the grass and smaller colored cacti in the other egg cups.
Optional: Glue a piece of cardboard to the back of the egg carton to keep the top standing up. You can also prop up the lid by placing an item behind it.
This desert play scene is so fun to make! Kids will love making it and playing with it when they are done.
For more recycled craft ideas for kids – see both of my recycled craft for kids books!
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