Cardboard boxes are very versatile and can be used for creating almost anything from architects’ mock ups of developments to fun things for the kids to play with.  Wendy houses made from removal boxes,  castles fashioned from bespoke boxes  and fire breathing dragons made from Cardboard Storage Boxes are just a few fun things to create for the kids to play with while saving money and the planet by recycling.

For those of us who remember TV programmes such as Thunderbirds and Doctor Who,  we can really get creative and build adaptations of Tracy Island and fearsome daleks and robots using cardboard boxes and scraps of other materials which you might have lying around the house.  As Christmas approaches, you might want to think about downloading patterns from the internet and have fun with the kids on Christmas Day making up some of the toys made from cardboard boxes instead of spending a fortune on new toys.  It is a great way to keep the kids entertained for hours at minimum cost.

You can introduce the kids to your childhood TV programmes, and where better to start than Doctor Who and create some daleks using some of the cardboard boxes which had contained Christmas gifts.   If you want to make a large life size dalek which your child can get inside and run around in, you will need a large removal box, scissors, some tape or glue, a yard stick, 2 or 3 pool fun noodles, 3 square tissue cardboard boxes, duct tape, a medium sized plastic laundry basket, some black crepe paper, a plunger, a large kitchen whisk, 2 tall clear plastic shot glasses, a large plastic bowl,  hot glue and a gun, paper towel cardboard,  a supply of 2 inch round Christmas ornament balls and 5 pieces of poster board.

Using a template downloaded from the internet, you can create very robust and realistic daleks from cardboard boxes which will keep the kids amused for hours. If each child has a dalek of a different colour to help identify them, they can play intergalactic games in the universe and pit their wits against Doctor Who. The approach of being creative with cardboard boxes is educational, both through the construction process and learning about TV programmes which may interest your child. It makes economic sense to build toys using old removal boxes instead of purchasing expensive new toys which may well be quickly discarded in favour of the cardboard box and packaging in which they were delivered.  From the angle of saving the planet by recycling cardboard boxes, you are encouraging your child to think about every day objects in different ways and you yourself will have fun recalling old episodes of Doctor Who and passing on the knowledge to the next generation.  If you have recently moved house and have not yet disposed of the house moving boxes,  creating objects from them provides amusement for yourself, your children and their friends.