How to Make a Bus From a Shoe Box

Although normally used to hold shoes, a shoe box can be converted into almost anything. Both the top and the bottom are of use--the bottom as the body of an object and the top as additional material. You can even make a toy bus out of a shoe box.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Shoe box
• Utility Kkife
• Stapler
• 2 pencils
• Cap from a small jar approximately 2 to 4 inches in diameter
• Glue

1. Take off the lid of the shoe box and set it aside. Turn the box over so the bottom is on top. The bottom of the box is now the roof of your bus.

2. Draw a square 2-by-2 inches on the box near the end of one of the long sides. The top of the square should be about 1 inch below the roof of the bus, and at almost the end of that side.

3. Draw another identical square next to the first. Leave about 1/2 inch of space between the two squares. Continue drawing squares just under the roof on both of the long sides of the bus. Draw as many as will fit.

4. Draw a large square on one of the narrow ends of the shoe box. The top of the square should also start about 1 inch below the roof. This square should take up almost the whole top half of this end of the box with about 1/2 inch left over on the left and right sides of the square.

5. Cut out all of the squares. Lay the shoe box on one side. Place your jar cap at the bottom of the long side, about 2 inches from the front of the bus. The cap should be half on and half off the shoe box. Trace the shape of the upper half of the cap on the shoe box.

6. Trace the cap in a similar position at the other end of the same side and also on the other long side of the shoe box. Cut out all four of these semicircles.

7. Use the same cap as a form to cut 4 full circles out of the cover of the shoe box. Cut out four tabs about 1-by-3 inches from the shoe box cover. Make a slit down the length of each one, but not all the way to the bottom.

8. Staple top ends (slit end) of each tab on the inside of the bus at the top of each wheel cutout. The tab and slit should hang down over the empty space.

9. Cut off the eraser ends of the 2 pencils. Slip one pencil through each opposite pair of slits in the tabs. Glue one circle to each end of the 2 pencils. The middle of the circle should be attached to the end of the pencil.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint your bus any color you like. You can even add decals or stars and sequins. Try adding a name or making up your own message or destination. Add letters to the body of the bus.
• Cut out the wheels close together on the shoe box cover. This way you should have enough cardboard to make the tabs from the same shoe box.

Resources

• Toy Bus Expo Diecast Bus Models
• NexTag Toy Buses
• Shop72 Toy Buses