How to Make a Pirate Ship Out of a Tissue Box

Make a toy pirate ship using basic household materials.

When you have used all of the tissue from a tissue box, you may think of tossing the box into the garbage. However, you can also use the tissue box as a material to create a whimsical toy. For example, construct a toy pirate ship using a tissue box as the body of the ship. You can even customize the pirate ship to resemble one from a popular movie. This also enables you to practice reusing items that would normally be added to a landfill.

Things You'll Need

• Waterproof latex paint
• Paintbrush
• Hot glue stick
• Hot glue gun
• Wooden dowel, one-fourth inch thick, 8 inches long
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Yarn

Instructions

1. Paint an empty tissue box using brown or black waterproof latex paint. Allow the paint to dry for 30 minutes and paint three to four circles along both long sides of the tissue box using gold or white waterproof latex paint. These will be the cannon holes of the pirate ship. Allow the paint to dry for another 30 minutes.

2. Push a hot glue stick into a hot glue gun, and plug the hot glue gun into a wall outlet to heat up for 10 minutes.

3. Squeeze a dime-sized dollop of hot glue into the center of the inside of the tissue box, and press the end of a wooden dowel onto the hot glue dollop. Position the dowel so that it is standing upright. Allow the hot glue to cool for two minutes.

4. Cut out a triangle from black fabric to measure 8 inches on all sides. Lay the triangle flat onto a table top and paint a skull and cross bones onto the triangle using white waterproof latex paint. Allow the paint to dry for 30 minutes and paint another skull and cross bones on the other side of the triangle.

5. Squeeze a line of hot glue along the wooden dowel and press one side of the fabric triangle onto the glue-covered dowel. Allow the hot glue to cool and harden for two minutes.

6. Cut a piece of yarn to measure 8 inches long. Squeeze a dot of hot glue onto the tip of the fabric triangle and press one end of the yarn onto the hot glue dot. Squeeze a dot of hot glue onto the front side of the tissue box and press the other end of the yarn onto the hot glue dot. Allow the hot glue to cool and harden for two minutes before sailing the tissue box pirate ship.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep hot glue away from children.

• Hot glue can cause serious burns on upon contact.

References

• Technology Student: The Hot Glue Gun