Noel MacNeal - Box!: Castles, Kitchens, and Other Cardboard Creations for Kids

She said, You know how to be a dad, and you know how to be a puppeteer. Why not combine these experiences in a book to show families how easy and fun puppet-making can be? (She also said, But dont make it crafty. Make it for people like me. You are not married to Martha Stewart.) So thats what I did, because they were not only characters I created with and for my son, but also ones I remember building when I was a kid. But of course, as a parent, I know that kids like to play with more than one type of toy, so I havent just been making puppets for the past seven years. Oh, far from it.

The inspiration for this book came from an experience with my son when he was a toddler. Our local, indoor play area had one of those kitchens kids can pretend to cook and bake with, so naturally, I thought we should get one for him. Then I went online and saw the prices. My knee-jerk reaction was You want HOW MUCH for THIS?! Most parents start buying stuff even before their kids are born, and it only continues as the years go by. But when I saw this, my next natural reaction was, I could make one! This kitchen was the first thing I made out of boxes for him, and I havent stopped. BOX! will help you to create all kinds of things with your kidsnot just out of boxes, but out of any container that comes your way via the grocery store, mail, or special delivery.

Take-out, tissue, cereal, and cracker boxeseven cardboard paper-towel and bathroom-tissue tubeswill all be fair game for creativity. Kids are great at instant play. You know what I mean: Flip that big box your new fill-in-the-blank came in, and they have a rocket. Or a cave. Or a car. You dont need to do a thing except maybe join in (which I highly recommend; when was the last time your car drove to the moon?).

So the majority of these projects fall under instant play. Minimal crafting for you and the kids, followed by fun; this is because kids already have an active imagination, and they dont really care how it looks. They already know how it looks in their minds eye! And as a parent, I already have a busy schedule. So simple, quick, and easy are the words that form the philosophy of this book. Plus, you get to reuse, recycle, and even upcycle those boxes that come into your home. Good for you, good for the planet: win-win.

In fact, I encourage you to reuse any of these boxes for other box projects. Get creative and combine them. Have you ever wanted a rocket ship or a fire truck? You can have both! I will help with step-by-step instructions, as well as some templates in the back of this book that you just need to color, cut out, and glue on. And when you have more time, or when everyone wants to create together, there are sidebars entitled You Can Also Do This to add highlights and details to any of these projects. That said, there are a few things you will need (and its likely you already have some of them on hand).