One of my kids’ favorite parts of going to the beach is collecting seashells. They love to walk along the water filling their buckets full of the ocean’s treasures.
After every beach vacation, a bag or two of seashells travels home with us. Sometimes the kids play with them or display a few special ones in their rooms, but, most of the time, the bags of beautiful shells get forgotten on a shelf in the garage.
This summer, the kids and I decided to try some crafts with our seashells. Our seashell projects were fun and gave us the opportunity to talk about our favorite memories from our beach vacations.
If you’ve been to the beach recently and have an abundance of seashell souvenirs, here are a few fun craft ideas to try with the kids. Be sure to wash and dry your shells first so they are clean and ready for crafting. Have fun!
- Painted shells. Paint the seashells in colors or designs of your choice.
- Dyed shells. Soak seashells in Easter egg dye to create dyed shells in a rainbow of colors.
- Melted crayon shells. Heat the seashells in the toaster oven and draw on them with crayons. The crayon wax will melt and drip on the hot shells. Be careful not to make the shells too hot for little hands to handle.
- Picture frame. Choose a wooden picture frame. Paint the frame if you wish. Glue the shells on the frame and put a picture from your beach trip in the frame.
- Wooden initial. Choose a craft wood letter. Paint the letter and shells if you wish or leave them natural. Glue the shells to the letter and hang to display.
- Stepping stone. Purchase stepping stone cement and a mold from a craft store. Mix the cement according to the directions and pour into the mold. Press seashells into the wet cement. Let dry, then display in your garden or flower bed.
- Hair accessories. Glue shells onto hair clips or headbands to create unique hair accessories.
- Necklace. If you find shells with holes in them, thread onto a cord to make a necklace. Choose beads or charms to add to your necklace if you wish.
- Flowerpot. Paint a terra cotta flowerpot, then glue on a few shells to decorate the pot. Plant some seeds in your flowerpot and watch your plants grow.
- Playdough creatures. Paint your shells, then use playdough to create unique seashell creatures.
