Recycling Fun: Castle

 

    Perhaps one of the only "good" things about our consumer society is the never ending supply of crafting materials.  We have a big box in our bedroom full of open play crafting supplies, anytime that Chloe wants to do a craft she can have at it with what ever she wants.
      I realized recently that without a certain knowledge base a child may not know what to do with a material.  I know I talk a lot about letting kids explore and discover ideas for themselves, but this doesn't mean that guidance needs to be thrown out the window all together.
     So today Chloe and I collected all the boxes. toilet paper, and paper towel rolls from our craft box and set out to make a castle.  I made a pretty big deal about it being a castle, if she had chosen to go another way with it I would have followed but adults can do what they want to do sometimes to!  When Chloe does a craft I try to sit down and do it with her, this creates a nice hodgepodge of adult/kid work for our home.  Sometimes I am really proud of the toddler activity I completed!
     It was a lot of fun to see where Chloe would glue the tubes, but I really wanted those castle towers so I started to glue those on and she just starts to do the same thing!  She came up with the idea of making the castle look like stairs and she started an entire make believe scenario.  It makes me so happy to see the fruits of my labor come out in her beautiful little imagination.

What crafts or activities do you like to do with your recycled materials?  I can always use some more ideas!

Until next time on a Natural Parents Tool Box

UPDATE: Chloe has decided to collect all of the boxes and things she sees and wants to make a rocket ship!  She has been grabbing things and telling me what part of the rocket they will be for!