Cool Cardboard Projects
There's no reason that your used cardboard needs to get thrown in the recycling bin. With a little bit of creativity, anyone can give second life to a cereal box or a paper towel roll. Children can learn the importance of reusing cardboard with simple and clever projects while teenagers and adults might want to take on a more challenging project that benefits them and the planet.
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Cardboard Castle
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Collect some cardboard tubes of various sizes to be towers. Give them a coat of gold paint. Then, using a small sponge, dab on a second color of paint to give the look of stone. Cut windows using a utility knife or have younger children draw them with black markers. Cut notches at the tops of a few turrets; on others, create red cones of construction paper and attach them as roofs. Assemble the castle from the center outwards. Use a 4-inch square of construction paper as a front wall, and attach a drawbridge made from wooden sticks lining a piece of cardboard.
Holiday Candles
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Gather several paper towel and toilet paper tubes equaling the number of candles you'd like to create. Trim tubes of the same type so that they are slightly varied in length. Stand the tubes on their ends. Use liquid glue to create drips around the top edge of each tube and down the sides. Let the glue dry, then cover the tubes and dried glue with a coat of red paint so that they appear to be dripping wax candles. Let them dry completely, then cut flames from gold foil wrapping paper and attach to the tops of the tubes with glue or tape.
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Christmas Ornaments
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A paper towel tube can become a sparkling snowflake. Paint a paper towel tube white and adorn with glitter. When dry, flatten it so that it is creased along two edges. Cut 3/4-inch segments down the length of the tube. Make holes in each flattened ring with a hole punch about half an inch from either crease. Thread a matching pipe cleaner through one hole in each cardboard ring, and twist the edges together. Trim the excess. The cardboard rings will form a circle, fanning out from the pipe cleaner connecting them. Connect two pipe cleaners by twisting their edges together, then thread them through the outer holes in the rings. Once again, twist the ends to connect the circle and trim the edges. The final product will have petals of cardboard joined by two circles, one inner and one outer. Hang these snowflake-like ornaments on your tree with string.
Eyeglass Case
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Cut the fronts of two cereal boxes into quarter-inch strips lengthwise. Arrange one box's strips in a vertical row. Tape the top of the row to the work surface with masking tape. Weave the other strips in horizontally, crossing each above a vertical strip and below the next until it is completely across; alternate this pattern every row. Tape down the other edges with masking tape, and cover the entire woven piece with clear packing tape. Trim the masking tape off, creating straight edges. Fold the piece in half; place on your surface with the fold at the bottom. Use an awl to poke holes closely spaced along the sides. Thread with colored cord and an embroidery needle. Repeat at the top, being sure to sew either side separately. Sew a snap to the inside for closure.
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References
- Photo Credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
