How many of you adore turtles? About 10 years ago we adopted 2 little turtles and have been big fans ever since! To honor our love for turtles we whipped up this super easy-to-make kid’s craft project that won’t cost you a lot of money. Our project was made by a group of kids ages 7 to 9 years of age.

Kid’s Crafts: Hand-Painted Turtle Seashells and Rocks

Large Clam Shells (Seashells)
Shell-Shaped River Rock (Turtle Shell)
Small Round River Rock or Smooth Pebble (Head)
Silver Metallic Acrylic Craft Paint
Dark Green, Light Green, White and Black Paint
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
E6000 Adhesive Glue
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer (Glossy Finish)
Round Wooden Toothpick
Old Newspapers

Lay newspaper down onto your work surface. Base coat your large clam shell with silver metallic craft paint. Our seashell needed 2 good coats of paint. Let dry for approximately 35-45 minutes. While it’s drying you can work on the next step.

Paint both of your smooth rocks (shell and the head) with a dark green acrylic paint. You’ll want to cover the top and sides of each one. The back doesn’t need painted since it will be glued onto the front of the seashell. We used 2 coats of dark green paint. Let dry for about 30 minutes.

Use light green acrylic paint to make a spotted pattern on the turtle’s shell. You want random shapes, sizes and at slightly different angles for your spots. Dip the end of your paint brush into white paint and dot an eye onto his head. Let dry for about 15 minutes. Dip the end of a round wooden toothpick into black paint and then dot on his inner eye. You can use that same toothpick to make a little line (slit) to serve as his mouth. Let dry for 30 minutes.

Use E6000 adhesive glue to attach the painted rocks onto the front of your painted clam shell. You will need to hold the rocks into place for about 3 minutes to allow the glue to start bonding together. This adhesive is the BEST glue to use when working with seashells, rocks, metal and wood. Dip the end of your paint brush into dark green acrylic paint and dot on his 2 little feet and a little curvy tail. Let the entire thing dry for 1-2 hours.

Lay newspaper down outside. Spray the top of your seashell with a coat of clear acrylic spray sealer. This will protect your painted design from cracking, chips and peeling. It will allow you to display your seashells inside or outside! If displaying outdoors, I recommend 2-3 coats of the spray sealer. It will take approximately an hour to fully dry. That’s it, you’re done!

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