Thinking Outside the Box!

My husband finally had time to put together my new treadmill yesterday, and I don't know who was more excited -- me about the treadmill, or my girls, about the big box that it came in! As soon as my husband took the lid off and flipped it over onto the floor, we both looked at the box top and saia, "Oh, THAT will be a boat!" And sure enough, within minutes the girls had claimed it for their own! At first, it was a big bed, then it was a fort, then a boat. They sat and had a snack in there, they played together, and for a little while they read together in there.

Honestly, we laugh about how when babies are little they are mostly interested in the tissue and the boxes as opposed to whatever gift might be inside. But, even as they get older, I find that my kids have a great time making all sorts of projects out of any box they can find. Shoeboxes become "Webkinz" condos, tissue boxes become mailboxes or cars -- my older daughter recently made quite the convertible for her dolls out of a tissue box. Looking for something to entertain the kids? Give them an empty box, some safety scissors, and some markers and let their imaginations run wild! And hey, it's a great lesson in the 3 "R's" -- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.