For the Love of Boxes

When you are a kid, sometimes the best things from the store are not the toys, but the boxes they come in. Every parent has a story of the birthday when the birthday child was more interested in the box and wrapping paper than the toys within. We've taken this to the logical conclusion with our second and third children: we went to the appliance store and hauled away a big washing machine box and gave it as a first or second birthday present!

We cut doors and windows into the box before gifting it. We usually mix cut out holes of various shapes and heights with one or two doors or windows that are "hinged". (Hint: for a better hinge, cut through the first outer layer of cardboard to create a crease where the door or window is to open.) We've learned it's a good idea to cut a little rectangle of cardboard out of the edge of the door so there's a place to stick your fingers in to open and close it, otherwise you get the occasional pinched finger!

These boxes get written on, pushed over, sat on and otherwise loved and abused until it's finally time to put it in the recycling. For inspiration, look for the book Christina Katerina and the Box, (now out of print) as a guide for how your box may transform over time.