Picture this, it’s a rainy weekend and you need something to occupy the kids. Or there’s school project due in for tomorrow that you completely forgot about. You’re racing around the house, scrambling to find anything that could be used in this time of crisis. Well, it’s usually the simplest of things that sparks the most imagination.
Spending every working day surrounded by hundreds of shoe boxes at Stomp means we’re are constantly considering the best ways to recycle and reuse the boxes and packaging. Ensuring your shoe box is recycled correctly is great, but what about turning an old shoe box into something brand new?
We have put together a few ideas on how you could transform your boring shoe box into something fun, meaning the kids can be entertained and you don’t have to worry about throwing away the box unnecessarily.
Car Wash
This cool shoebox car wash is simple but effective and you only need three extra components to make it happen. Cut a small, rectangular hole at each end of the box, this will be the entrance. Feather a piece of corrugated paper to make the entrance curtain and take some more corrugated paper to stick to the toilet roll tubes to create the spinning sponges. Thread pipe cleaners through the toilet roll tubes to allow them to spin and there you have the perfect miniature car wash!
Football Table
Similarly to the car wash, cut a rectangular hole at each end of the box for the goals. Take anything similar to a straw or wooden skewer that can be used as the poles that hold the ‘football players’ – make sure they are long enough for you hold once they are poked through each side. Cut holes on either side of the box and thread the pole through. Add 3 or 4 clothes pegs to each pole to act as your ‘players’. Use a ping-pong ball or small bouncy ball to play with. Have fun!
Target Golf
Start by turning your shoe box upside down. Find a ball, rolled up paper or something that is easy enough to flick and make sure the holes you cut are big enough for it to fit through. Cut a variety of sized holes along the bottom edge of the box, each different hole will be worth a certain amount of points. Quick and easy, target golf is a fun way of keeping the kids entertained.
Stationery organiser
This is the only shoe box craft where you will need to use the lid of the box, so keep that close by. Use a pencil or something sharp enough to poke some holes in the lid – don’t make them too big as these holes will hold pencils and pens etc and you don’t want them to fall straight through. Decorate the box however you want, then begin to fill the box with craft and school supplies. Finally, put the lid back on and fill the holes with your favourite pens or pencils!
Cardboard Zoo
The cardboard zoo is the craft that involves the most cutting and sticking. Instead of utilising the box as it is, draw and cut out lots of zoo animals, signs and enclosures on the card to create a magical cardboard zoo. To make the scenery 3D, use smaller pieces of card to create stands for the animals etc to stand on. This craft might be more creative, maybe one for the older children, but it’s definitely very fun and will keep their attention for hours!
We hope you managed to get lots of inspiration from our shoe box crafts and maybe even come up with some of your own. We would love to see your creations, so if you try any of these ideas with a Stomp shoe box, be sure to tag us in your photos on social media (@stompfootwear on Instagram and @STOMP on Facebook) so we can see and share them!