From the page: Cardboard holds up to far more than just one more move
Idea 7
Toys like a playhouse and play kitchen
Corrugated cardboard was born in the 19th century as packaging, but it became a toy in the hands of families who had no factory-made toys. It works because the internal zigzag flutes distribute weight and give rigidity to lightweight sheets — cut and glued in layers, they become panels firm enough to hold up a child.
What you need
- Large cardboard boxes (refrigerator or appliance) and medium ones
- Utility knife or strong scissors
- Masking tape and white glue (or hot glue)
- Gouache or acrylic paint, brush
- Pencil and ruler for marking
- Fabric scraps or bottle caps for the details
How to make it
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1
Open the large box and draw the playhouse walls: four panels of the same height with the door and windows marked in pencil before cutting, so you get it right the first time.
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2
Cut with the utility knife supported on a hard surface and make straight cuts, running the blade along the ruler — a clean cut keeps the cardboard from fraying at the edges.
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3
Join the panels on the inside with reinforced masking tape and then glue a double panel on the roof: the overlap of layers gives the strength that a single sheet of cardboard doesn't have.
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4
Paint the facades with gouache or acrylic paint, which covers the porous cardboard surface well; wait for it to dry before the second coat so it doesn't smudge.
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5
For the play kitchen, use a smaller box lying on its side: cut the front as an oven, glue four bottle caps as knobs, and paint the burners on top.
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6
Add fabric details like a curtain on the window and a rug at the door, attaching them with masking tape so they can be swapped when the child wants to change the scene.
Finishing touches
Reinforce the corners with cardboard rolls glued on the inside, which work as support columns. For storage, fit the doors with hinged flaps of tape, so the playhouse folds flat over itself and slides flat behind a closet.
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