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Have a sign for your community
Have a clear pathway to flow around the room/city
Host class has a rubber stamp to stamp the student passport

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What to do with a Box- by Jane Yolanda & Chris Sheban
Not a Box by Antonette Portis
The Most Magnificent Thing by

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* Plan/purpose
* Foundation -roads, modes of transportation
* Skyline or buildings, city, neighborhood, community
* Supplies- cardboard, paper bags, black paper, glue, vice grips, compass, sponge brushes, acrylic paint, black sharpies

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Project Recycle & Create: Building a Cardboard City

Last month the boys made a wish-list of ideas they wanted to try during the month. One idea was to make a city. Another was to make a tape track. This combination was the start of their invasion of the living room.

The boys have been known to steal from the recycling bin and create some pretty amazing things. Before this project, one of my favorites was defintely the creation Legoman made for Super B. Just for fun I have included the video of their fun.

Using a project based philosophy we set to work to create a Cardboard city complete with tape track roads.

Step One: Plan the Cardboard City

As with any of the projects we do, we started with our "Brain Map".

A "Brain Map" is a graphic organizer that is used to help children organize their ideas surrounding a subject. It is easily adaptable to all ages (I used to use this in Preschool).

The boys started by defining what they wanted to create. A City.

Then they asked and answered questions.

What is in a city?

What makes a city work?

What kinds of people are in a city?

What does a city need?

Brain maps provide an educator or caregiver so much insight into what the child knows and understands. Not only does it allow me to see what spelling/word patterns they knw... it also allows me to see how they organized their thoughts. If we were doing this as a unit/project study, I would have them do another brain map at the conclusion to see what they learned.

For the purpose of this experience, we did not do the afterwards assessment ,however the photos document what was learned during this experience.

But what does a city look like?

Where should we put the streets and buildings?

We got out google maps and looked up our city. We played with it for some time, notating the shape of the blocks and the placement of the buildings. We were finally ready to create.

Step Two: Create the Cardboard City

Creating is so much fun for us. We are a family that strives to leave a low footprint, meaning we reuse materials, recycle as much as possible, and even buy minimal products that produce wastes.

We keep a running inventory of boxes, lids, bubble wrap and more at our disposal just for such occasions as this.

So off the boys went to our stash to find suitable buildings for their city.

In order to make the streets, we used painters tape and laid out the blocks. They really wanted to incorporate their wooden car garage, so we made the city around one central block. They chose very specifically where they wanted each type of building.

"We need the hospital here, Mom. It is right by the tower which is in downtown. Most people are in downtown."

"We need Target near the people's houses so they can get to the store easily and not have to drive across town."

"The zoo needs to have enough room and be near parking."

I simply love hearing what children say as they think things out and problem solve.

Our city was complete with a Zoo, The Hospital, Eli's Cheesecake Factory, a Milky Way CandyShop, several homes, and a Tergit (Target).

Step Three: Play with the Cardboard City

Now for the moment they had waited for. Play time. I wish I could tell you they liked this play scene. But no! No, They LOVED it!.

We had removed the carpet, taken over the living room and created an entire city at their fingertips.

They raced the cars, they parked and went to Target, they visited the zoo and they drove home at the end of the day. Everyone had a blast playing.

One of my favorite things was when I noticed an extremely long line of Lego people in front of the cheesecake factory....

" Oh, Mom, those are all the kids and parents from a school waiting to get in. They are on a field trip."

Even Super B had fun. (Who for this experience was known as B-zilla... as she was quite destructive to the city)

Who knew so much fun could be had with recycled materials?

Actually, I did and so do several other amazing bloggers. I am thrilled to co-hosting monthly in P is for Preschool's Project Recycle and Create. Each month the co-hosts listed below will post a project focused around a recycled material. This month was, as I am sure you could tell...

Cardboard Boxes

Each month we will bring you a new material and a new project. Be sure to check out each Co-host as they have each done something very different. You are sure to find some amazing ideas. Every month we will be pinning our projects and our favorites to our Pinterest board.

Want to Join the Fun?

Be sure to follow the creator of this project, P is for Preschool, and many others of the co-hosts to stay updated each month.

Grab a Box and Create

Make your favorite craft. Give your children a box and see what happens. Recreate your favorite play scene.

You choose.

Then we challenge you to share what you have done with that box. For non-bloggers, feel free to post to Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #createrecycle so we can follow along.

For bloggers, we are offering a link-up.

What have you created using a cardboard box? What is your favorite recycled material to use?

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email in the sidebar. I can't wait to hear your ideas.

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Project Recycle & Create: Building a Cardboard City Last month the boys made a wish-list of ideas they wanted to try during the month. One idea was to make a city. Another was to make a tape track. This combination was the start of their invasion of the living room.

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Possible Design Ideas

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Cool Homemade Kid-Sized Kids Cardboard Town

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Quick video of how we built a kid-sized Old Western / Cowboy themed town out of cardboard for Samantha's 5th birthday.

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Cardboard Skyscraper - Craft Ideas with Boxes | DIY on Box Yourself

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There's a lot you can do with some boxes. You can even build your own city! Øistein shows how to make a skyscraper out of cardboard boxes. Every Tuesday and Friday we upload new DIY videos. Subscribe if you don't want to miss any of them!

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Blueprint

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complex design elements

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This is the first episode of my new series in which I build a city out of cardboard.

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Sm scale city scape w sky backdrop- images & article

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Sm scale city scape w sky backdrop- images & article

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Mommy Labs - Creative Learning, Purposeful Living

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One good thing about shifting to a new place is the de-cluttering that becomes inherently a part of the process. That is, if one chooses that way. I mean, we can always carry all the stuff that's been lying around unused - from one house to another and from one location to another. That may seem to be an easier option for lack of time and motivation to de-clutter. But, in the long term, managing all that junk eats into your space, time and energy. Hence, I have chosen to de-clutter in a big way - before I move to a new house this month-end.

But, there's a caveat to my declutter philosophy.

Before tossing into the bin, I always pause to think if Pari and I can create something beautiful and meaningful out of it. Can we upcycle the old T shirts, the lamp shades, the crockery, the cutlery, , the card-board boxes, the business cards...?

Over the last few months, we had saved some card-board boxes hoping to come up with 'some' idea. Other projects kept happening and we never got around to using them. But, now was the time to upcycle them for, I, definitely did not want to carry those along to a new place. They must be either upcycled now or never.

So, one of these evenings, this is what Pari sat down to make -

the vista of a city skyline - complete with the evening sun as the backdrop
Acrylic paint works well for the glossy and printed surfaces of such boxes.
I had a skyline silhouette in mind when I suggested Pari to paint them black. But, child's world is always colourful. She wanted to paint them in every colour possible!

We had some bits and pieces of colourful stock paper saved from our Space Party pace projects. As usual, I did not throw them away thinking they could be used for creating mosaics etc. Those came in handy to make this backdrop for the city scape

The background had to be a colouful evening sky rather than a monochrome afternoon or a night sky.

I have so often discussed with Pari - about the need for greenery, about aforestation Vs deforestation etc. that she's now totally sensitized to the future of our environment. No wonder, once the cityscape was done, she came up to me and suggested that she 'puts' trees around this city scape, or else, "the air will be too bad to breathe and then kids will cough."
So, next up - trees is what she's going to add to this same project.
When writing this post, I was looking for more green projects for kids that I could share with you all here, and I found this very inspiring paper craft that kids can make and appreciate the importance of upcycling.
Readers in India: Donate here

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Upcycle Cardboard Boxes into City Skyline Vista

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One good thing about shifting to a new place is the de-cluttering that becomes inherently a part of the process. That is, if one chooses that way. I mean, we can always carry all the stuff that's been lying around unused - from one house to another and from one location to another.

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Create ideas of a community

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Making other objects as well

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Uploaded by FashionByMayhem on 2016-02-27.

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This next fall, we invite kids of all ages around the world to build something amazing out of cardboard, recycled materials and imagination.

Inspired by the short film, 'Caine's Arcade', the Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event presented by the Imagination Foundation to celebrate child creativity and the role communities can play in fostering it. In September, kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. Then on October 7, 2017 communities come together to play!

How It Works

The 6th Annual Global Cardboard Challenge will kick off this September and culminate in a day of play on October 7, 2017. Plan your Challenge to take place over the entire month of September, with multiple days for kids to design and build or as a one-day event on the day of play - it's up to you.

Build
& Create

Celebrate
a Day of Play

Share
with the World

Watch "Caine's Arcade" to get inspired, then build something awesome out of cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. Do it anywhere - schools, backyards, parking lots, libraries - just make sure there's lots of room for creativity!

The Global Cardboard Challenge culminates on Oct 7, 2017, a day of play (commemorating the flash mob that came out to make Caine's day in the short film). Invite family, friends and the community to come out and celebrate child creativity.

Share pictures, video and stories from your Cardboard Challenge (#cardboardchallenge) on your blog, website and social media platforms. Help us build the movement to foster creativity and entrepreneurship in kids around the world.

Why Participate?

The Global Cardboard Challenge gives children an opportunity to collaborate, learn, and build the things they imagine through a simple process called Creative Play. The Challenge lets children explore their interests and passions; teaches critical thinking, resourcefulness, perseverance, teamwork and other 21st century skills; and brings communities together to foster and celebrate child creativity!
Read about the Value of Creativity

For all the detailed theory that underlies this project, what convinces me of its value is that I used Caine's Arcade inspiration and cardboard to engage refugee children in a camp in Switzerland. They went from "out of their minds with boredom" to bright eyed enthusiasm and busy creativity in a matter of minutes...

~ Regina Mosimann, Switzerland

How It Looked in Previous Years

Since 2012, the Global Cardboard Challenge has had over 750,000participants from 77 countries - and was made possible by the hard work and support of committed Organizers, sponsors and partners. Check out Organizer reflections and Cardboard Challenge events from previous years. And watch participant videos and photos of Cardboard Challenge events from around the world, including winners from our Video Contests below:

See 2014 Video Contest Winners More Videos from 2013 Our Facebook Yearbook

Host a Cardboard Challenge

Join parents, educators and community leaders from around the world. Bring the Global Cardboard Challenge to your school or neighborhood. Register your activities at www.cardboardchallenge.com!
Join the Cardboard Challenge!

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Imagination.org - Global Cardboard Challenge

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Inspired by the short film, 'Caine's Arcade', the Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event presented by the Imagination Foundation to celebrate child creativity and the role communities can play in fostering it. In September, kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination.

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Bluepront