For me, personally, I feel strongly that we should recycle. My family supports our local recycling programs. We give our gently worn clothing to those in need, send our used books to our local library and schools, and our youngest has been diligent this school year taking in as much of our recyclables to school to use for projects. Her classroom has a box called the “Invention Box” that contains many different items the students can use to create projects to complete assignments. I’ve decided that it would not be a bad idea to share some ideas to use egg cartons.

I believe in a different article, I mentioned using the cardboard egg cartons to plant seeds. Once the seeds have sprouted, you can simply cut the carton apart and plant it directly into the ground. The only drawback to this would be the fact you need to place something under the carton when you water the plants, if you do not have them outside. This is so much more convenient than having all those little plastic pots sitting around and it is more environmentally friendly.

If this is not for you, check out all the ideas at DLTK Kid’s. They have a whole page of ideas for a range of age groups. The ideas they have cover several different areas such as animals and modes of transportation. Usually at this site, the directions are easy to follow and it is easy to navigate.

Another good site is Enchanted Learning. They also have a page devoted to egg carton crafts. If you are not a member, you may not be able to access all the necessary information, but the ideas are there. I have joined this site before and found it to be very useful for entertainment as well as school ideas.

Do you like to go camping, or simply have a campfire? Why not use those cardboard cartons to make fire starters? All you need are some small wood chips mixed with dryer lint. Once you have tightly packed the egg sections tightly with this, pour melted wax over all of it. When you are ready to start a fire, simply break off one section, place it where you will be starting your fire and light it. I’ve used these and they work pretty well. No need to go out and buy fancy starters with something like these.

Stop by the forum to let me know what you have done with your egg cartons. I'd love to hear your ideas.