Today we are making egg carton spiders. More specifically Redback Spiders! Of course, you can paint your spider in any colour that you like if Redback Spiders are not your style. These egg carton spiders are made from two egg carton cups, one for the body and another for the head or more correctly the cephalothorax and abdomen. The legs and fangs are also made from the egg carton so this craft really does use minimal resources. It also looks pretty cool and is great for kids who are learning about spiders!

Egg Carton Spiders

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The redback spider is an interesting spider. As a child and growing up in New Zealand this spider has always fascinated me as it was the “scary” spider. New Zealand has very few dangerous spiders, in fact, only three different species need to avoided in NZ. The redback spider is one of them. It is unlikely to come across a redback spider in New Zealand however they are more frequently found in their native country, Australia.

In Australia, they are commonly found in many habitats, including urban areas. They often hide in dry, sheltered places such as garden sheds, mailboxes, and even under toilet seats. It is the female redback spider that is the most threatening to humans as the male redback spider has shorter fangs that can’t usually penetrate the skin. Although the redback spider is best to avoid as the bite can be fatal fortunately thanks to an effective antivenom for redback spiders was introduced in 1956.

Find out more information about the redback spider over at, Australian Geographic, and Australian Museum.

Now let’s get on with making a cool spider from an egg carton!

You Will Need

One of the great things about this egg carton spider craft is how few materials are needed to make it. It is made using a recycled egg carton, so is a low-cost craft as well as being earth-friendly. There is no need to go out to purchase expensive materials when you can use an egg carton to make all sorts of amazing crafts!

We have used googly eyes on our spiders. A great alternative to the eyes is to paint the eyes on.

• Egg carton
• Black and red paint. We used black watercolor and red acrylic paint.
• Googly eyes and craft glue if not self-adhesive eyes.
• Hot glue gun.
• Scissors.

Let’s Make A Spider!

Prep

Start by gathering all of your supplies. To make this spider you will need two cut-out egg carton cups as well as an extra egg carton for the legs and fangs. You will also need paint, a hot glue gun, and googly eyes.

Prepare your egg carton spider pieces. Select two egg carton cup pieces to form the head and body of your spider. Cut a small V shape into the side of one of the egg cartons, this will help to stick the two egg carton cups together.

Next cut out eight legs. Use the curved part of the lid or other curved sections of the egg carton to create the legs. Also, cut two smaller fangs to go on the spider’s face.

Glue

Once the hot glue gun is hot glue together the head and body. Next glue on the eight legs, four on the body, and four on the head. Once all of the legs have dried glue on the two fangs at the front of the spider’s face. Do not worry if you get extra globs of glue on your spider as the spider will be painted.

Paint

Now the fun really begins! Paint the spider’s body, legs, and fangs. We went for a redback spider so painted our spider black with the identifying red stripe on its back. You can go for any colour that you like. Younger kids may even decide to paint their spider rainbow! Set aside your spider to dry.

Eyes

Stick eight googly eyes onto the spiders head. Alternatively paint on eight eyes and then wait until it is dry.

You have now made an egg carton spider! Now find a place to display it. These spiders would be perfect for any Halloween display.

Other Fun Activities To Try

• Egg Carton Penguin Craft
• Paper Plate Yarn Spiders
• Egg Carton Jellyfish
• Foil Art Spiders
• Recycled Bottle Bee Craft

Thank you for stopping by. We hope you enjoyed this egg carton spider craft!