I have been busy all day cleaning up all our Christmas leftovers (wrappings, stuffing, and boxes) and pulling some of it aside for a few quick projects. I know this seems like a given, but every year we forget the power of the box and especially a Box Fort! Not only are they inexpensive, they are perfect for an indoor activity this time of year when it is rainy, snowy or just plain cold and not fun to be outside.
This year we had one good box and were able to snag a couple of other large boxes. We spent 10 minutes Christmas evening putting the Box Fort together and it has already provided hours of fun in the past day and a half! One tip for that worked really well for us, was to show my 4 year old son some pictures of Box Forts through a google image search. He was really upset when we first started breaking the boxes down and no amount of explaining helped as much as 30 seconds of looking at other Box Forts. He then was with the program. He got his little brain going and started directing us on what to do!
First, we wiped down the boxes with slightly damp rag to get off any thick dust…
Then we taped boxes together and got creative! Pretty simple, I know. But, the kids are having so much fun! We did discover that taping vertical with smaller strips of tape over the edges when attaching 2 boxes together was much more effective than taping long stretches of tape vertically over both edges to secure them.
Don’t forget to cut out windows and doors! The kids requested a window on the roof. And a flashlight or two is always loads of fun, as well! I’m going to save ours for when they are starting to get bored with the fort!
There are lots of different styles and sizes that you can come up with. You do not have to have these super large boxes, we just got lucky finding them! Get creative and I would love to see your creations! Add them to Fun On A Dime Facebook page!
ENJOY!!
Kathie says
December 27, 2010 at 10:08 pmAll kids love to play in the boxes!!!
maggy, red ted art says
December 29, 2010 at 5:34 amOh what a marvellously HUGE box and what a brilliant fort! Looks like your kids LOVED their new playhouse! Brilliant!
Thank you for linking up to Kids Get Crafty! Love seeing you there.
Maggy
Little Wonders' Days says
December 29, 2010 at 6:45 amIt looks like a lot of fun! My kids would be crazy for something like this.
sherri says
December 29, 2010 at 11:10 amI love boxes…they are always more fun than what comes in them!
MyKidsMake says
December 30, 2010 at 10:52 pmfun! my kids just made a little house out of leftover box we had from Christmas. They are already talking about expanding and putting on additions!!!
nrnoodle says
December 31, 2010 at 12:04 amYou should read your kids “Christina Katerina and the Box” It was one of my favorite books as a child. Very fitting for your last adventure.
Fun On A Dime Lady says
December 31, 2010 at 9:19 amThank you for the book suggestion! I’m trying to get to the library in the next few days and I’ll have to look that up!
Barbara Allisen says
January 6, 2012 at 11:30 amIn Canada, Dec. 26 is called Boxing Day. Although the real meaning is connected to British history, it could be called Boxing Day for this reason: Even after all the wonderful new toys they’ve received, after Christmas kids play with the empty boxes.
Kids are sometimes over-stimulated (!?!) and need to “debrief”. One of the ways they do this is with play where they make up the ideas and the rules. A plain, ordinary box comes with no limits, no instructions, and no expectations. Kids are in control in their own zone. The box comes with a world and beyond of possibilities. While a box is a defined space, it is flexible for the needs of the child. Think of a cardboard box as nutrition for the spirit of play!
May I link to your post? It’s so much fun to find another blog that connects at the same time!