Get Kids Recycling - Old Cereal Boxes

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Let's face it, families have cereal boxes and plenty of them. If you have more than two kids in your household more than likely they don't like the same cereal. Add to the mix the parents. Parents more than likely don't eat the same cereal as their kids. Mom may want a cereal with less sugar and more fiber. Dad may want a cereal that's associated with a favorite sports icon. None the less, what do you do with the boxes after the cereal is gone?

One really cool project you can get your kids involved in is turning their favorite cereal box into a magazine holder. It's a fun and easy project. You simply cut one side of the box diagonally. Think of it as cutting a triangular shape out leaving a wall on one side. Test it out. Put some of your kids magazines inside or even some of your own. Shape your box accordingly.

After you cut and shape your box the fun stuff begins. Now you and your kids can decorate. You can use color construction paper and create various designs and then simply glue the paper to the box. Or you can cover your new magazine holder with fabric. Fun fabric scraps are cheap to purchase or you can use whatever fabric pieces you have lying around the house. If you decide to use fabric it will make the magazine holder sturdier which means it will last a lot longer. You can use crafters glue to hold the fabric to the cardboard.

Another cool idea for your old cereal box is to turn it into a quick and easy travel checkerboard. As parents know things get lost when you travel with the kids. If you make your own checkerboard and pieces come up missing its really not a big deal. When making a checkerboard kids will learn shapes and working with rulers and scissors. And who says a checkerboard has to have black and red squares? Kids can make the squares whatever color they want.

To start you simply cut along the creased edges of your box. Remember parents there are 64 squares on a checkerboard. Each row is 8 squares with alternating colors. You will need to cut 24 circle shapes with approximately a 1/2" diameter. What ever colors you and your kids choose for the board you will want to make your circles or checkers the same colors. Crayons or markers are a great way to color your board. Simply use a black marker to draw your lines on your new board and then let the kids have fun coloring in the squares. If you want to have some fun you can also use the picture side of your cereal box for one set of the checkers.

This is a great way to get your kids recycling and its a fun activity for a rainy or snow day. Your kids can be ahead of the game in learning shapes and coloring inside the lines. As always, remember to recycle and have fun!

Beer Brewing Ice Cream Maker