9 min read
Age: Suitable for ages 6+
9 min read
Age: Suitable for ages 6+
Ready for some crafting fun? Let’s make your very own pirate ship! With egg cartons, some glue, and a few simple materials, you can create a brilliant buccaneer ship – complete with a fearsome skull and crossbones flag. Our illustrated step-by-step guide shows you how.
The bottom sections of two 6-egg cartons
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Drinking straw
Cord or leftover wool
Black, white, and coloured paper or construction paper
Scissors
Pencil
- The bottom sections of two 6-egg cartons
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Drinking straw
- Cord or leftover wool
- Black, white, and coloured paper or construction paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Clothes pegs
- Pritt Glue Stick
- Pritt Multipurpose Glue
Always supervise children when using sharp tools.
Around 60 minutes per ship (drying time not included)
Use scissors to cut off the bottom of an egg carton and remove any protruding tabs, if present. Repeat with the second egg carton. One of these bottoms will become the hull of the ship. Set it aside for now.
Take the bottom part of the second egg carton and cut out the two points in the middle generously. You should cut out enough of the edge around the points so that you can stick them onto the body of the egg carton later. The points will become the bow and stern of the pirate ship.
Apply Pritt Multipurpose Glue to the edge of a tip and attach it to one narrow end of the egg carton hull so that it extends slightly over the edge, like the bow of a boat. Secure the tip with two clothes pegs.
Then glue the second tip to the other narrow end of the hull and secure it with two clothes pegs to dry, too. Now, it’s time to be patient: It takes around two to three hours for the glue to dry properly.
Tip:
You can prepare steps 1 to 4 the day before, so you don't have to wait that long.
Time to get colourful! Choose a colour you particularly like and paint your pirate ship entirely using a paintbrush. Leave the paint to dry.
In the meantime, you can prepare the flag. Cut a strip of black construction paper (approximately 8.5 x 21 cm). Fold the strip in half and open it again.
Apply the Pritt Glue Stick to one side of the paper. Place the drinking straw in the centre of the strip so that it divides it in half lengthwise. Then press the paper firmly together. The basic shape of your pirate flag is now complete.
Cut a jagged edge into the end of the flag to make it look tattered, as if it had been exposed to the wind and weather at sea for a long time.
To turn it into a real pirate flag, you still need a white skull with two crossed bones underneath. Draw both freehand on white paper or download our template and print it out. Carefully cut out the skull and the two bones (you’ll find a template for the skull at the end of this guide).
Now glue the skull and crossbones onto the flag using the Pritt Glue Stick. If you want to decorate both sides of the flag, you will need a second set of skull and crossbones.
Tip:
You can either cut the eyes and mouth straight out of the white skull, or draw them on black cardboard and glue them on top.
Cut a small hole in the point of the egg carton boat in which you want to insert the flagpole. Then dab a little Pritt Multipurpose Glue onto that tip and insert the straw flagpole. The skull and crossbones flag is flying!
Now all you need is a bunting. Cut a piece of cord that is at least twice as long as the pirate ship, preferably a little longer. Tie the string around the top of the flagpole so that there is about the same amount of string left on both sides. Secure the string with a tight knot at the top of the flagpole. Tie the two ends to the two tips of the ship.
Tip:
For extra hold, you can pierce two small holes in the centre of the tips of the ship, thread the cord through each hole and tie a knot.
Cut small rectangles for the bunting from two different coloured, narrow strips of coloured paper. Fold them in the middle. To create small flags, cut the rectangles into a pointed shape.
Apply a thin layer of glue to the small flags using the Pritt Glue Stick and stick them around the cord in a staggered pattern.
Ready to board: You've crafted a pirate ship with egg cartons! Set sail for its first adventure into uncharted waters.