BOX CARS… PRICELESS!
After an over-scheduled day of school, a playdate, and a birthday party – my husband, my son, my sister-in-law, her twins and myself walked from All Fired Up, the twins’ birthday party site, across the street to Café Deluxe (I love this place for ‘dining’ with kids) for a quick, but nice 5:30pm dinner in Bethesda.
The first family we saw as we walked in was one of my son’s friends from his ‘3’s’ class. After all the hellos and smiles, his mother asked me, “Where do you get the cars in your playroom that I’ve been hearing about?” Her son has been talking about them for a week.
I started grinning from ear to ear and told her: they are boxes.
She and her husband started laughing a little and both said, “What?”
Yes, they are boxes. And this isn’t the first time our ‘cool playroom cars’ have been brought up. Kids, especially boys, LOVE these boxes… I mean cars.
The idea for these toys began with my son just playing with the box his carseat came in. We quickly made it into a car with a cut-out door. My husband added paper plates for wheels and a steering wheel. I then made a gearshift from a paper towel roll and a tissue box after my son matter-of-factly commented on the need for one. Lastly, we got a little fancy and added handles to the doors that were lying around in my husband’s tool box.
Whoa- one more important thing: you must make a key out of cardboard and have a slit to put it into = ignition key.
We made a second one for friends and playdates. My son and his friends will drive to the beach, stop at the gas station, get in each others’ cars to give each other a ride or just drive around the neighborhood. Ahh, pretend play… I love it!
I love that my son and his friends get so much enjoyment out of these boxes, that they are using their minds, that they are even being a little creative. I love that my son didn’t even want to take the time to decorate them… His response- “Why? They have wheels.”
I’m another mom chiming in how cool it is to make things and play with… stuff! Imagination is cool. And it’s free. A great DC Metro Mom post last month talked about how important imagination is.
So, get a box and see what happens;
gather up some paper plates and enjoy!
Next project – my son wants a plane… that might be a tough one!
This can also be read at DC Metro Moms; it’s a great site, I’m a contributor!
Comments
One Comment on BOX CARS… PRICELESS!
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Musing on
Mon, 17th Mar 2008 8:29 am
How fun! One of my favorite books as a child was Christina Katerina and the Box. And whenever we had a big box in the house I turned it into a castle just like Christina had.
Also, thanks for linking Blogtations. 
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