Having received new toys for the holidays, children are often faced with the task of reorganizing their rooms to make everything fit. Here’s a fun and useful craft that will let them create storage boxes for smaller items they might want to place on shelves.
Producing successful and useful objects is important in the elementary school years, adding to a child’s sense of being a capable person. In addition to expressing creativity in constructing this project, youngsters will be proud to put the boxes they’ve made to use in their own rooms. When introducing this project, you can also talk with your children about the importance of recycling. They will be turning old used newspapers into functional containers that will last for years – another reason to be proud of their work.
Although this project is a bit messy, hopefully the finished project will help your children keep their own spaces a little neater.
Materials:
- Plastic, disposable refrigerator storage box – large
- Newspaper – torn into strips about 1”x 4”
- White glue
- 1” foam brush or craft paint brush
- 2 shallow bowls
- Craft paints, stickers, or other decorative items
- Water and paper towels to rinse fingers as needed
Procedure:
Make sure your disposable plastic box has smooth sides, so finished project will slip off.
Place plastic box upside down on protected work surface. An old vinyl table cloth is best.
Place warm water in the first shallow bowl. In the second bowl, mix together 1/2 cup white glue with 2 Tbsp. warm water.
First layer: Dip newspaper strips into warm water only, and place strips on sides and bottom of plastic box until it is covered. Leave a 1/2” gap between rim of plastic box and beginning of paper strips.
Second layer: Paint one side of a newspaper strip with plenty of glue and place on top of the wet newspaper layer on box. Continue painting strips with glue and adding to the box until the entire first layer has been covered with glued strips. Keep 1/2” space between paper mache and top rim of plastic box. Overlap strips, and make sure there are no areas left without glued paper. It’s okay to wrap paper around corners. Use extra glue to make sure it lies flat and goes where you want it to go. (Rinse sticky fingers whenever needed.)
Let box dry overnight.
Third - fifth layers: Alternate direction of strips in each layer. If 2nd layer strips went up and down, 3rd layer strips should go across. Paint strips with glue mixture and place on box. Overlap strips, using extra glue on edges and corners as needed so all strips lie flat. Make sure each layer covers entire box, but keep 1/2” space between paper mache and top rim of plastic box. Continue through fifth layer.
Let dry overnight.
Sixth – eighth layers: Repeat third – fifth layers. Carefully paint outside of eighth layer with more glue.
Let box dry COMPLETELY. (This may take 1-2 days!)
Wiggle dried paper mache box off of plastic refrigerator box. (Bend in one side of plastic box to help pull apart.) Trim top edges with scissors, if needed.
Decorate box with craft paint (2 or 3 coats), stickers, construction paper cutouts, buttons, rick-rack or other decorative items. You can match the colors of your room, or make an accent piece. Be as creative as you like!
Extensions:
- You can make boxes of all sizes by cutting out box bottom and sides from several empty cereal boxes or from poster board. Use masking tape to attach sides to bottom, then lift sides and attach with tape at corners to form box. Cover box with several layers of paper mache both inside and out. Decorate as above. (pictured below)
- Make a matching waste basket by cutting out an oval or round base from heavy cardboard and wrapping a tube of poster board (cut to desired height) around it. Use masking tape to close the tube and to hold the base in place inside the bottom of the tube. Then use the paper mache techniques above to turn this tube into a useful waste basket. Use several additional layers of paper mache to make your waste basket extra strong. Decorate to match your storage boxes!
Dr. Arlene Sprague has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. She recently retired as a full professor of psychology at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn.
