Time for Some Family Fun!
Time for Some Family Fun Not only can you come up with ideas, the kids can join in the fun and make things like tissue box monsters with googly eyes and sharp teeth! All it takes is a bit of imagination, empty boxes, and perhaps some construction paper! So let's gather a few supplies and start turning ordinary household items into little works of art!
Getting Started with Tissue Box Crafts:
Time to start saving those tissue boxes - they can be square, travel-size, regular rectangles, or even bathroom-sized boxes. Just save them all because you can do a lot with them when it comes to decor! The different colors make the projects even more fun when making an easy craft using empty tissue boxes. You should also gather together glue sticks, old gift tags, foam sheets, tissue paper, crepe paper, wrapping paper, any colorful papers, an egg carton or two just to get started. I love to use those pads of origami paper when it comes to making projects with my tissue boxes. In other words, look around and gather some recycled materials you can use.
Thinking Outside the Tissue Box:
A tissue box is much more than just a tissue box when it comes to this fun craft. Think cute boxes that can be used for storage, or perhaps an indoor mail station! Kids love to make funny monsters and that is this is where you can use a lot of the supplies by adding ears from an egg carton, a tongue from a pipe cleaner, and even legs from a popsicle stick or two. We are talking monsters, farm animals, trucks, buildings, and much more. Here is where you can plan with your kids - let them come up with a dozen or more ideas, then pick the one they want to work on. Getting kids to add to the ideas makes it much more fun because they came up with the idea and it was not just given to them!
Crafting Tissue Box Monsters:
Ok, let's make some monsters! Grab an empty tissue box in the shape you want to use for the body of the monster. This will be the base. Next, it is time to gather the parts of the monster together. Foam sheets are perfect for making spines on the back of the monster, while pieces of an egg carton are perfect for making ears. For the head and mouth, you can use parts of another tissue box - you do want it to stick out and be able to add teeth! Maybe add some legs? That would mean popsicle sticks or rolled construction paper (I will leave it up to your imagination!) What will you use for eyes?
Before you start gluing everything together - are you going to paint your monster or are you going to cover it in tissue paper? If you cover your monster, you can always glue on spots later. Just let your imagination run wild (I know the kids will). The goal here is to be creative not just follow a set of rules!
Creating Tissue Box Farm Animals
Not into monsters? Perhaps making a farm animal or two is in the works. The process is pretty well the same, except with farm animals you have real-life examples to follow. Here is where you want to take that empty tissue box and cover it with the color of the animal. Construction paper can be added for the neck and head or you can use foam sheets, The idea here is to be creative but realistic at the same time. Afterall, you do want the farm animal to look like the farm animal! Think pigs, cows, chickens, or even horses.
Crafting with Small Tissue Boxes:
Now what can you do with small tissue boxes? Here is where you can make mini storage containers for things like beads, buttons, paper clips, or perhaps small toys. There are so many fun ways you can repurpose small tissue boxes. I like to paint mine with either acrylic paint and enhance the design with a black marker! Now small tissue boxes are just one of the small boxes you can use. I have used those mini cereal boxes that have the flaps in the middle. Remove the cereal and keep the box so you will have a clean surface to work with. These tiny boxes can be easily decorated and as I mentioned, you can paint over them and add any embellishments you want. I like to add a tab (I use a loop of string) on one half of the lip so it is easy to open.
Transforming Old Tissue Boxes into New Creations:
Now you have a few ideas, start with simple ones that the kids can create, from there the possibilities are endless. Monsters, Farm Animals, Storage Containers, and even Vases for your paper flowers! These boxes are the base for many creations. Let those kids loose and have them come up with ideas for not just toys but also for things that can be used in their bedrooms! When ideas start to flow, write them down and see what you want to make. This is a great way to get the whole family involved.
Don't just wait for a rainy day, make this a fun thing to do while camping as well. Perhaps the kids can come up with ideas on how to decorate the picnic table!
Don't you just love having kids use their imagination when it comes to what they can make? Now, it does not have to be just kids, the adults have fun with ideas as well. So go and grab a few empty tissue boxes and start making that list of what can be made from it!