A Cardboard Box Is an Interesting Sort of Thing

What is it about the cardboard box that makes it so interesting?  Kids love a good cardboard box boat.  Simply cut off the top of the box and cut out a door so they can get in and out of it (but leave one side attached so it’s a door and not a doorway) and put the boat in the middle of the floor.  Tell the kids that the carpet is water.  If you really want to keep them busy, cut out some sharks from blue construction paper and toss them on the floor.  Give them a couple of sturdy sticks to use as ores and tell them that they have to row their way to the next room to be safely on land.

Authors seem to enjoy the cardboard box, too.  Famous author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a short story about Sherlock Holmes in “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box”.  This is the story of a woman who receives a small box in the mail that contains two severed human ears in it.  I won’t give away the details in case you haven’t read it, but Sherlock Holmes is able to quickly solve the case.

With a few things found around the house, you can turn a cardboard box into an oven.  There are a few ways to do this, and some seem a little dangerous, but one way is to cut out the top of the cardboard box and turn it into a magnifying glass of sorts.  You can then set the box outside in the sunlight and let your food cook while you take a nap.  You can find instructions for the cardboard box solar oven online.

You can use cardboard boxes to build shelves.  Find several boxes of the same width, but different heights.  They need to be sturdy boxes and not too deep, no more than about twelve inches.  Using glue, attach the boxes side by side for a few feet, however long you want your shelving unit, and then start stacking them by scattering the sizes.  You can paint the shelves to match your décor if you like, or for a great shelving unit for a child’s room, paint each cardboard box different colors before putting them together.

Small boxes can be made in the same way as the larger ones, but into shadow boxes to hang on the wall rather than shelving units.  Match up the paints and you can have them in the same room for a total effect.  With the right boxes, you won’t even be able to tell that they are made from cardboard.

Turn a fancy cardboard box into a planter.  Line the box with a plastic plant liner or even with some plastic wrap, fill with potting soil and put a nice ivy in the new planter.  These work great for indoors or under an overhang on the front porch, but it is not suggested to leave your cardboard box planter out in the elements where it can be damaged.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to your creativity and a cardboard box.