In Praise of Cardboard

And paper bags.  And aluminum foil.  And construction paper.  And Scotch tape.

I can't imagine how we'd homeschool without them. 

We've had a craft explosion around here lately.  But I haven't had anything to do with it.  I mean, occasionally I'll suggest a craft to the kids, or write one down on the whiteboard at choice time, or we'll make one together, but my most important role is simply to put the materials out (along with a few instructional or idea books), try to keep them organized, and allow them to be used.  The current craft explosion can be traced to Farmerboy, who is my builder.  Farmerboy sees a box and thinks, That would make a good tank.  And then he finds the tape himself (lots and lots of tape) and starts working on his vision.  When his older brother and sister hear or see what he is doing, they usually want to join in.  Then we have a beeline to the basement, where all the Amazon cardboard boxes reside while awaiting recycling.  Even if it is 9 PM.  Because your mother is a pushover when imagination is involved.

(Here the kids were building tanks.  Unfortunately, I can't show you the finished products because the twins have already ripped off the cardboard tube turrets and the boxes have mostly been repurposed as robots.  Which have also already been dismantled by Wonder Twin Power.)

My second most important role in supporting the sacrifice of hundreds of rolls of Scotch tape to the altar of imagination is to not buy any fancy costumes or realistic looking armor.  Every Christmas Santa considers those wooden sword and shield sets that you can find in most of the Waldorf-ish/natural toy catalogs.  And every Christmas Santa discards that idea, for two reasons.  The first reason is that cardboard, foam and plastic swords do not cause brain damage when delivering mortal blows to your brother, but wooden swords contain many hidden emergency room costs not figured into the sale price.  The other reason is that deprived of such toys, the kids often make their own -- using copious amounts of aluminum foil, of course, to simulate plate armor. 

At this point, I would show you the clever gauntlets Gareth and Farmerboy made out of paper lunch bags covered with aluminum foil strips, but, er, the twins got those, too.  (Are you sensing a pattern here?)  So instead I will show you what occupied the kids this afternoon.  They made crowns -- at the suggestion of Farmerboy, who was leafing through his Usborne I Can Cut and Stick book.  Katydid did a lot of the cutting and stapling.

They also made crowns for Pip and Pop, who did not rip them up, choosing instead to nap with them on.  (Which is where they are now. :-) 

I couldn't resist including this picture of the boys, mostly because of Pop's expression.  (He's in green with the blue crown.)  Only Pop furrows his eyebrows like that, so now you'll be able to tell them apart.  In this case, his expression can be interpreted: "Why is that crazy lady taking pictures of us again???"

Lately the costuming bug has extended to stuffed animals.  Here is the cast of a WWI drama, as played by paper bags -- or, er, stuffed dogs and cats:

I recently reorganized our art cabinet (at least the open shelving), which was in desperate need of a good clearing out.  In its present state, it is much easier for the kids to use.

Here's a picture:

(Just ignore the stuff at the top, please.  I don't have anywhere to put my laminator or the roll of easel paper, and there's also a hammering activity I stuck up there in desperation one day to get it away from certain small people.) 

On the top shelf: Do a Dots, Prismacolor markers, collage bin, and a Far Side mug of Sharpies and scissors.  (Obviously, the stuff likely to do the most damage in the hands of a toddler resides on the top shelf.  They can't reach it even if they climb up on a chair.)

On the second shelf: Tissue paper, oil pastels, Prismacolor pencils in a tin, manual pencil sharpener, basket of stickers, art and craft books.

On the third shelf: Farmerboy's art books (including the Tractors and Trucks Stencil Book and titles from the Usborne Playtime series), a zippered plastic carrier of playdough and playdough tools, a container of crayons (we use Lyra), a container of stamps and stamp pads (Farmerboy can open it, but the twins can't), a small cabinet containing watercolor pans and brushes, colored pencils, and Sculpey, and various kinds of paper.

The collage bin contains glue sticks, Mod Podge, glue brushes, glitter, sequins, chenille stems, feathers, gems, buttons, pom poms, colored pasta... and about a million felt and paper shapes which I had to pick up off the floor the other day, after the bin was "accidentally" left out and Pip discovered it. 

While picking up the millions of bits of paper and felt, I had a lot of time to think.  And one of the things I was thinking about was what Farmerboy's kindergarten should be like next year (ie., after July 1.)  I know it's a bit out there right now, but I did have a lot of time to think, remember?  Considering the child's need to create, I started thinking about a "crafty kindergarten".  I'm not generally one for cute phrases, but this one does seem to sum up what I think the bottom line will be for Farmerboy's first "official" homeschool year.

More on that as I have a chance to think it through a little more.  Right now the hour is getting late and Chipmunk will be up from his nap any minute.  But the crafting continues:

Comments

[Theresa]

Oh, what fun!!!I LOVE the furrowed brow on Pop, btw. My JackJack has a eerily similar expression he likes to toss out on "very serious" occasions. He doesn't appreciate that I just laugh and run for the camera!LOL!

[Amy]

Exciting! My kids always get the most out of that stuff too. I love the expression on Pop. :)

[Kathy]

Ahhh...cardboard, tubes, boxes, scissors, tape, foil...could have been photos of my own four recently. We've had an explosion of interest in these things here lately.