Being crafty
Boxes galore
How about making a house using a cereal packet? I used those small individual portion boxes and covered them with lining paper. On a separate sheet of paper, I drew the windows, doors and roof (I even added flowers and a dog) and let the children colour them in. The kids cut them out and glued them on. Of course, they don't necessarily get stuck in the right places, but there you go. We made a whole village so the children could drive their cars around and about.
I remember when I was a kid, mum and dad couldn't afford to buy me a doll’s house – so mum made me a three-storey house from biggish boxes. She lined each room with paper and sample carpet tiles. I was as happy as Larry with it for years.
Big boxes, used for appliances or stereo equipment, can be cut and painted to make Wendy houses. The whole day is frittered away decorating and then playing in the house – and the good news is, you can flatten it out for storage.
Our favourite creation is a post box. The children write letters, draw pictures and spend hours posting everything they can lay their hands on.
We made a house using a fridge freezer box, but the children discovered a new use for it when our five-year-old climbed on the roof and it collapsed – it made a wonderful slide.
Story pictures
How about getting the kids to create a collage telling the story of the three little pigs? All you need are a few pieces of straw – if you don't keep rabbits then drinking straws will do. Draw a basic square for the house and a normal triangular roof. Add some windows and a door, and the kids can paste straw to the walls with glue.
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