Build It with Boxes by Joan Irvine illustrated by Linda Hendry

What can you make with a large cardboard box?

• a puppet theater
• a fort
• a dragon

What can you make with a medium size box?

• Costumes
• Puppets
• Dioramas

Are there other uses for boxes?

• Baskets
• Jewelry boxes
• Decoration

This book has projects for two different kinds of boxes – the large, sturdy kind that a fridge or washing machine might come in, and the other light cardboard box such as a Kleenex or cereal box. You can even make your own boxes- this book is full of project ideas.

Part One – Make a Small Box

Use them for gift boxes, Easter baskets, party candy holder and even a box with a lid. You can learn how to make boxes from cards – use the old Christmas, Hanukkah or birthday cards to make sturdy little boxes. These boxes can be used to hold your jewelry or stickers or other small items.
Use some of the little boxes to make a fantastic world – make a beach scene, and winter village, a pioneer village, and construction site or a city street.

Part Two – Surprise in a Box

Make a diorama, make a robot, make pop-ups.

Part Three – Fun & Games

You need lots of boxes for this chapter – so save every cereal or tissue box you use – make mini-golf, make a penny carnival, and even make a pinhole camera.

Part Four – Boxes You Can Wear

Make an airplane, make a triceratops, make a sports car, make a tin man, make a moon suit! But if a box part of your costume goes over your head – do not go outside because your sight is probably limited.

Part Five – Put on a Show

• Write your own plays
• Practice with your puppets until they develop a personality

Make a popping monster puppet, wiggle a pig’s nose, or make an elephant’s mask.
Make your own musical band – a tube and box kazoo, cymbals, shakers, strummer, and/or a clinker.
Make a shadow theatre or a medieval castle theatre. Decorate your theatre with curtains, make a large standing stage. Make backdrops, large structures, large popping boxes, hanging boxes, and giant box animals.



Note: Build it with Boxes is from my personal library.