Creative Kids: The Best Part About a Cardboard Box
The best part about a cardboard box……is playing with it after its been emptied!
Karlie quite proud of her box!
Who ever said you needed to give kids a bunch of toys? Half the time if they have a box they are content to play for hours. Or is it just my kids?! When the girls spot a particularly big box come through our front door they are almost more concerned with whether or not they will get to play with the box after it’s been emptied. If it was up to them they would confiscate every box that came into the house for their box creations, however, I have informed them that only large boxes are available for creative redesign! This is a great rainy day craft if you have a big box already hanging around!
How many monkeys can fit into this box?
This is just after we told them that they could play with the boxes for a few days before they get thrown away. They are almost giddy with excitement as they come up with creative ideas on how to play with this box. They have built houses, tunnels, forts, barns, castles, cars, rockets, and more out of recycled boxes. I am positive that we would have house full of box creations if I didn’t get rid of them myself because the girls have so much fun playing.
I see someone peeking!
It is neat seeing them have fun and get creative over something as simple as a box. They usually color, sometimes tape, reshape and make the box into a “treasured” item. This is the planning phase of the box give it a few more days or a couple of weeks (if I can handle tripping over it for that long) and it will be all decked out! Do you let your kids play with the big boxes and what fun creations have they made with the boxes?
Creative Kids: Toy Bucket Ride
Brina and Karlie emptied the toy buckets and took them for a spin around the room
Life is never boring with kids around. While playing they often come up with some creative ways to find a little extra entertainment. The other day as I was busy getting some stuff done around the house I heard a bunch of giggles. As I go to check out what they are up to I found that they had emptied their toy buckets and were rolling around the room in them.
Karlie giggling and spinning in circles in the toy bucket
It was pretty funny watching them spin in circles around the room all tucked up in the buckets. Their hair was completely crazy with static and there were plenty of giggling going on too. It is amazing how something so simple can entertain the kids for a long time.
Brina with very static hair but having a blast rolling around in the empty toy bucket
This fun activity entertained the kids for quite some time. After their adventure of rolling around in the buckets they put the toys back into the buckets. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to tuck our bodies in a bucket and spin around the room!
Karlie having a blast rolling around in the empty toy bucket
Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that can provide the most enjoyment and you probably have the items right in your house. I love it when the girls use their imagination and come up with fun activities on their own. Life is short and sweet so why not have a little fun too! What creative entertainment have your kids come up with recently?
Colorful Table Confetti
Brina and Karlie set the table…… plates, forks, spoons, napkins AND silly bands!
The other day as I was cooking dinner I asked the girls to set the table. I heard a few whispers and giggles but really didn’t think anything of it until it was time to put the food on the table. It was when I walked over to the table to set the food down that I realized the meaning behind all the giggling…..they had added extra color to the table.
They took a bunch of colorful silly bands and spread them out over the top of the table in between the plates and called it “table top confetti”! I love it when the girls do something spontaneous and creative. They were so proud of their beautiful table. The themed silly bands would be a perfect table top confetti for birthday party table, thanks kiddos for giving me an idea! Plus the silly bands were much easier to clean up compared to the tiny pieces of confetti!
Creative Kids: Wrapping Paper Canoe
Brina and Karlie’s wrapping paper canoe
After a recent celebration at our house we had leftover wrapping paper, tissue paper, and a couple boxes. As I was cleaning up the girls asked if they could use the leftover items for a few days before we threw everything away. After a few moments of hesitation I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything to let them play with the items and get creative. They were thrilled to have such large pieces of wrapping paper and goodies to create something super special.
Once they decided what they wanted to do they took the largest piece of wrapping paper they could find and made a wrapping paper “canoe” out of it. The red tissue paper was used to create four rows of benches inside the canoe. They used some of the cardboard to make oars for their boat. I am not sure why they decided to make a canoe but they both worked together to come up with the idea and did well working together on it. I let them keep out their wrapping paper canoe for several days. I was pretty impressed with how they were able to put everything together all on their own and even made something that resembled a paddle out of cardboard.
Even though my preference would be to clean up the wrapping paper, cardboard, and tissue paper right away after the celebration I allowed myself to let go and let the girls have fun with the items. The items were trash but they had a blast creating, using the scissors and the glue to put together their wrapping paper canoe. Yes, I could have thrown all the wrapping items away as soon as the celebration was over but I would have never had the joy of watching my kids entertain themselves for hours with their handcrafted wrapping paper canoe! It is a great way to reuse the wrapping paper multiple times plus the kids have a blast too!
Cardboard paddle for their canoe
What Do You See – a Mess or a Race Track?!
After lunch one Sunday the girls were instructed to pick up the newspaper after they were finished looking at it while Jake and I worked for a few minutes on our schedules for the upcoming week. After about thirty minutes or so I came back into the kitchen and this is what I saw…..my first thought was “seriously, what a huge mess!” Instead of picking up the papers they had spread all of them over the kitchen and dining room floors. When asked as to why they didn’t pick “up” the newspaper they told me “Well we decided that it would make a great race track!”Although the mess was big I had to hold back from laughing. It was a pretty cool looking race track even if it was a mess. They were quite proud of their “track”. So despite the fact the kitchen and dining room looked like they were carpeted with newspaper and ads I decided to let them enjoy it for the afternoon as long as they would pick it up before we left for Awana that evening.
The silly part is that they had a blast with the newspaper. Who would have ever thought that a newspaper could provide so much entertainment. They rebuilt the roads several times, added new vehicles, used it as a walking track, and several other silly things all in that one afternoon. In a matter of hours that newspaper got more love and provided more entertainment then all the other newspapers we have ever received put together. And the best part, when asked to pick it up (the second time) the girls did it happily and in a matter of a couple of minutes.
So was it worth me having to endure a messy house for a few hours? Absolutely! The girls had fun, they used their imaginations, were creative, and played well together. The problem is I don’t always “react” well when I see a mess someone in my family has created whether intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes I am more worried about the mess they are making that I don’t allow them to just have fun. Yes, having a clean has is important but if the house is always perfect then a race track would never happen.
It was worth a temporary messy house to hear the girls giggling together over a silly newspaper converted into a race track. Thankfully this time around I gave into just enjoying the fun moment and waited to clean up the mess later. What do you see – the mess or the race track?
Creative Kids: Miniature Marshmallow Snowmen
Brina and Karlie’s mini marshmallow snowmen
Recently the girls were enjoying a snack together (including marshmallows) when they called me in to see the creations they had made. They had taken the miniature marshmallows and stacked them together to make mini “snowmen”. It was so cute to see them come up with these silly little snowmen that we decided to leave them for a little bit so Jake could check them out too.
Sometimes it is the simple little things that can provide the most fun and entertainment. I am thankful to have the opportunity to celebrate this creative (and goofy) moment with the girls. It may not seem like much when the kids create something like miniature marshmallow snowmen but it is times like these that brighten up the day for your kids when you truly get excited about their creative “artwork”.
Creative Kids: Outdoor Painting Fun
The girls love their easel and can often be seen drawing with crayons, colored pencils or chalk, but their absolute favorite activity is painting. When we have a nice day outside and a few minutes we will take the easel out onto the front porch and let the girls paint. Over the years it is amazing to see their painting masterpieces become even more beautiful and specific.
Karlie getting started with her painting project on a clean sheet of paper!
Karlie’s finished artwork
Paint table complete with a bowl to rinse the paint brushes. Paint table complete with a bowl to rinse the paint brushes.
Brina starting her artwork with a clean slate! I wonder what she’ll paint?
Brina’s artwork masterpiece. A flower blooming on a sunny day with the initials of her entire family.
