Remember those giant, cardboard building blocks from kindergarten or preschool?  It’s easy to make your own by reusing juice pouch packaging (like the boxes Capri Sun come in) or other sturdy cardboard boxes.  Capri Sun boxes are a perfect choice because they’re made of a nice, rigid cardboard and are a great brick dimension (about 11 x 3½ x 5½ inches.)  It’s nice to have a quanitity of blocks in a uniform size, however, smaller and larger boxes and possibly different shapes would also enhance the collection.  Once you’ve accumulated some empty boxes here’s a step-by-step guide to making a set for your family:

1)     Stuff with crumpled newspapers or magazines to give extra sturdiness and a little more substance (don’t overstuff.)

2)     Use a hot glue gun to re-close the opened end of each box.  Make sure to help the end of the box retain its original shape and hold in place until cooled. 

3)     Cover with Contact Paper to provide a uniform look and a more waterproof, wipeable block.  Arrange the paper on the box in such a way that it helps keep the box from re-opening.  A 32 x 14 inch section works well, removing thin slivers at the corners to allow the paper to wrap well.  (This may take some experimentation.)  For the Contact Paper, I selected several complementary granite/stone patterns in neutral colors.  Of course, many other patterns are availble including marble, wood grain and stripes. 

Enjoy!  So far we’ve had fun building tall towers to be knocked down (they don’t hurt when they fall on you) and walls to hide behind when playing peek-a-boo.  We’re looking forward to a lot of creative play in the future and are asking everyone to save up more boxes for our stash.  

I wanted to make a bunch of play food but wasn’t sure what material to use…  I liked the idea of Melissa and Doug-style wooden food, but wanted something I could make myself.  I was so excited to disover an entire “Felt Food MOVEMENT” online–what could be easier!  (Even Pottery Barn Kids in on it now!)  Felt is such a fun and forgiving fabric, the possibilities are endless!    So far I’ve made just a couple of items, but have brainstormed a pretty extensive Felt Food Menu to work on…

BREAKFAST:  fried eggs, bacon, pancake, syrup, butter pats, grapefruit halves, doughnuts…

DELI:  rye bread, croissant, Swiss & colbyjack cheese, lunch meats, lettuce leaves, tomato slices, pickle spears, potato chips…

MEXICAN CUISINE:  flour & corn tortillas, chicken & beef strips, pepper slices, onion wedges, tomato cubes…

ITALIAN CUISINE:  bowtie pasta, cheese ravioli, lasagna, marinara sauce, meatballs, garlic bread…

SALAD BAR:  buttercrunch lettuce leaves, spinach leaves, red lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, slices of carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, black olives, green pepper and red onion, broccoli florets, and crutons…

FRUIT:  strawberry, watermelon, mango, papaya, banana, orange, pear, apple, kiwi, lemon, lime, peach…

I look forward to reporting back to share results and patterns.  Until then, here are several of the great felt food links that inspired me:  Design Mom, Aesthetic Outburst, and Akiyo’s Homepage.  Check out these directions at  Skip to my Lou for making your own felt doughnuts.