With all the shops being closed we haven’t been able to go out and buy our Christmas presents this year so we have had to rely on online shopping. In a way its actually been easier to get organised but have you ever noticed how much packaging some companies use? We ordered a tiny little toy and It came in an absolutely massive box! Our recycling bins are stuffed with boxes and with us not being able to use the recycling centre we thought we would recycle them ourselves with a fun little craft.
My son wanted to make a shield and in particular one like the Viking in one of his favorite stories. Viking history is so interesting and whilst we were making our little cardboard box Viking shield we took some time to learn about Vikings via some age appropriate sources. My son really loved National geographic kids’ 10 facts about Vikings post. Do you or your little one know any fun Viking facts? We’d love to hear them!
Here’s what we used
An old cardboard box
Washi tape
Buttons
Scissors
Glue
How to make a cardboard box Viking shield
First you’ll need to cut out the circles to make your shield. For the base of the shield you’ll want a large circle and a slightly smaller one. We drew around a large dinner plate and a regular dinner plate to make ours. Then for the boss in the center cut out three smaller circles, each one slightly smaller than the last. we used mugs and an egg cup to draw around!
Now its time to paint your shield circles in little one’s chosen colors! The largest circle will make the outer rim, the slightly smaller one will make the main body of the shield and the three small ones will make the boss.
Once the main shield circle is dry add any extra decorations. To keep it simple for my little one we just used washi tape to make lines.
Glue the circles down centrally on each other with the largest at the back and the smallest at the front.
Cut out a strip of cardboard and glue it onto the back in a curve to make the shield handle.
We then finished off our shields by adding some buttons around the edge to look like nails. Don’t they look fab! My little boy has had so much fun playing with his!
Sometimes the best crafts are the most simple ones! My little guy has had so much fun making and playing with this cute little cardboard slithering snake craft. Since lock down started back in March we’ve been ordering so much more stuff to the house rather than going out to buy it. We’ve ended up with this massive tower of cardboard boxes that we’ve slowly been trying and failing to stuff in the recycling bins. Hence why todays craft is made from old boxes! My son actually came up with the idea to make snakes after seeing some grass snakes near our house and we just love how they’ve turned out!
You will need
An old box
Scissors
Paint or markers
Split pins
How to make a slithering snake
First take your cardboard box and cut out some similarly sized ovals to make the snakes body. We made 5 ovals per snake but you can make your snake as long as you like!
Now its time to decorate your snake! Why not add some fun zig zags or paint and print some bubble wrap to look like scales?!
Once dry its time to piece your snake together! Start with the head piece and then pin each consecutive one underneath the previous one using your split pins.
Finish off your awesome cardboard slithering snake craft by giving him two eyes and a pipe cleaner tongue, so much fun!
*please note that this post may contain amazon affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase from the links provided i may make a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps me keep this blog running.
A few weeks back, my son asked me if we could buy a puppet theatre to play with. I have to say I was shocked at the prices of some of the puppets that we looked at! I know too well what my son is like, he’ll desperately want something and when he finally gets it he’ll play with it for a couple of days before it disappears to the back of the cupboard for goodness knows how long. It was then that I had the idea that maybe we could make our own DIY cardboard puppet theatre. That way we wouldn’t just spend time together playing with it but also building it too.
My little guy loved the idea and said that he wanted to make a red puppet show. So, when our big craft order arrived we instantly got to work on the box. It’s been so lovely spending so much time together over the last few days. I wasn’t sure how he was going to get on with no school but having him home has been such a pleasure. The best thing about this project is that it’s one we can keep adding to over time by adding new puppets to our collection!
To start with, take your cardboard box and open the ends. Cut off the Back of the box to give you three equal sections as you can see above. Our box was a little bit small so rather than cutting the ends off we glued them together at the corners to make it taller.
Draw your window onto your puppet theatre before cutting it out. Then, cut the top of your theatre into a slight arch.
*just an after thought. If you want to easily add working curtains make sure the sides pieces are a couple of cm higher than the top of your window. We didn’t do this and had to fiddle with our curtains to get them to hang properly.
Now for the fun part! Cover your puppet theatre in your chosen paint. You may want to paint the front and back, we only did the front as we’re running low on red paint!
To hang the curtains you’ll need to make a hole at the top of each of your two sides. They’ll need to be 2-3cm higher than your window. Thread a length of string through one hole, across the middle and out the other hole. Pull the string tightly before knotting the ends securely on the outside of your theatre. My son cut up an old pillowcase to make his curtains and folded them over his string before securing the loose end in place with double sided tape (I had originally planned on tidying the curtains up and sewing them together for him. To be honest though, his double sided tape has held up perfectly).
*If like ours, your curtains a little bit low use some tape or glue in the centre to lift them slightly.
To make your changeable scenery, cut out some different floors (such as grass and sea). Attach magnets to each side. You’ll also need to line up two magnets just beneath your window so you can switch your scenery.
To finish add some decoration to the front of your show. We wanted to keep it as simple as possible so we just glued on some white paper stripes and some yellow stars. once dry you puppet theatre is finished! Doesn’t it look fab? My son is so pleased with his!
Today my son decided he wanted to make something for his little sister. how adorable is that? For the last few days she has been absolutely obsessed with a cardboard tube from inside a foil roll, so I suggested perhaps we should turn it into a magic wand for her. He loved the idea and together we came up with this adorable recycled magic wand craft. For the most part we used recycled materials and after i had glued it together he added some craft buttons too. If you’re planning on making one I would definitely recommended using a glue gun if possible, it just makes them so much stronger. Our magic wand still looks completely untouched, even after being bashed around by a year old all day!
You will need
Long cardboard tube (the ones usually found in foil or cling film/saran wrap)
An old cereal box
Ribbons
Any optional decorations
Scissors
Paint
Glue (we used a glue gun because it’s just faster and the glue is a lot more durable. You can use pva, you’ll just need to peg the pieces whilst they dry, it probably won’t hold quite as strongly either)
How to make your recycled magic wand craft
Take your cardboard tube and paint it in your chosen colour. Once finished, pop it to one side to try.
Take your cereal box and cut out two identical stars. The easiest ways to do this are by either cutting two out at once or by drawing around your first one. Once they have both been cut out, paint them in your selected colour. Put your stars aside to dry.
Once your tube is dry, Cut out 6-8 equal lengths of ribbon and using your glue secure one end of each down on the inside of one side of your tube. Leave the other ends loose.
Glue one of your stars onto the tube and then cover all of it’s back edges in glue before securing the other star on the back.
Optionally add some decorations to your magic wand, then you are finished and ready to cast some spells!
