Kids Activity- Cardboard Castle

On Monday  I resigned myself to the fact that we will be housebound for at least a week and probably two as my 5-year-old woke up with a the dreaded chicken pox. It is inevitable that my one year old will get it too. Anyway I looked around to see what I could find to keep a one and a five-year entertained for a few hours. I had this large cardboard box behind the sofa. Using the scalpel knife, I cut into the top of it removing squares to create the shape of the top of the castle. I then cut out the door and created a little drawbridge by sticking the leftover pieces of cardboard together. I wrapped masking tape all around the box to give it more stability and stuck the pieces together to create the drawbridge using masking tape. I put the box out in the garden and gave them lots of paint and brushes and let them at it. They proceeded to paint it and then got even more creative by using flowers as paint brushes creating very interesting brushstrokes. A little mud got added and it looked great on the castle wall creating an aged look. Thomas then got his water pistol and sprayed the walls. Finally Jonathan lay on top of it, rubbed his hair and face into it and rested for a short while. When they were finished making it they climbed in and out and in and out of it and the fun continued. This proves that the best fun is free and we all know that the best toy is the good old-fashioned box.