Toy Apartments

Don't you just love tiny little boxes? Inspired by these very clever Tiny Shadowboxes, from Bloesem Kids, I decided to tape a bunch of small boxes together and see what the kids would do with them. (Yes, I'm still cleaning out cupboards.  -Probably because I keep getting distracted with fun projects!)

First, the collection of boxes became a very cool pig perch. Using the pieces and catapult from this game, we fired Angry Birds until the pigs fell down.

Next, we decided to redecorate the box structure. My three year old chose dot markers and got to work dotting every box. I think it would be super cute to "wallpaper" each section with a different kind of patterned paper, but my son LOVES dots, so that's what we did.

The decorated structure is now known as the Toy Apartment because it's a great spot for lots of little toys to live! As you can see, Legos and frogs are among the many residents.

This same project would be a fun way to practice letter sound recognition. Just collect 26 boxes and label them with letters of the alphabet. Go on a hunt to find something that starts with each letter! Or what about a color sorter? Paint each box a different color and have kids collect items to match.

What else could you do with a tiny box structure?

This is a fun way to rescue and reuse materials, so it's perfect for Earth Day. Start collecting your boxes now!