Make a Cardboard Playhouse

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Make a Cardboard Playhouse

Help your child build a home with a window-box garden.

Make the House

What You Need:

Turn a cardboard box into a
child's playground.

Large cardboard box
Utility knife
Primer and yellow latex paints, acrylic paints
Pink poster board
2 cloth napkins or dishtowels
Small cloth tablecloth
Duct tape
Hot-glue gun

Instructions:

1. Ask an adult to cut the top or bottom off the box. Set the box on the ground, cut-end down.

2. Cut a large door in one side of the box. Make sure one side of the door is left attached to the box, so your door will open. Cut a small heart window in the top of the door.

3. Cut large windows on two sides of the box.

4. Paint the outside of the box and the inside of the door with primer. Let dry. Repeat with a coat of yellow paint. Let dry.

5. Decorate the outside of the box with acrylic paints.

6. Cut shutters out of poster board and glue them to either side of the windows.

7. Tape cloth napkins or dishtowels inside the box, just above the window opening, to create the curtains.

8. Tape a tablecloth to the top of the box to decorate the roof.

Flower Box

What You Need:

Egg carton
Purple crepe paper
Crafts glue

Instructions:

1. Turn the egg carton upside down and paint green. Let dry.

2. Glue purple crepe paper around the bottom half of the carton.

3. Ask an adult to poke holes in the bottom of some of the egg holders so you can plant your flowers.

Flowers What You Need:

Colored paper
Flexible straws
Plastic foam balls
Yellow acrylic paint
Toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Poke the top of a flexible straw into a foam ball.

2. Hold the straw as you paint the ball yellow. Place the straw in a glass to let the ball dry.

3. Cut petal shapes out of colored paper. Glue a toothpick to the center of each petal so the toothpick extends 1/2 inch below the petal.

4. Poke the toothpick petals into the foam balls. Complete your house with a mailbox made from a cereal box. Cut open three sides of the box, leaving one of the narrow sides uncut as a hinge. Cover the box with colored paper and decorate. Attach the flag with a brad fastener. Attach the mailbox to your house with two brad fasteners.