Why you may ask, did we have so many large cardboard boxes around our house? Well, don’t. Let’s just say the contents which were delivered in those boxes were the equivalent of two new bathrooms.
Writing the last three words in the paragraph above makes both my heart and wallet quiver.
In light of these expensive home upgrades, I wanted to make sure we procured an optimal return on investment. Hence, my son and I built a cardboard castle. I give this thing two weeks max before it collapses.
The key to all this is providing access for your little one, from one large box to another. I utilized a time-tested method to accomplish this and implemented a Romanesque architectural element between each box. This insured the pressure from other boxes that rested on top had some level of support.
In other words, I winged it.
Putting this together required a box cutter. As a dad, I’ve made it clear to my son what objects are dangerous and which ones are not. I rely on another ‘time-tested’ method to ensure my son clearly understands the dangers, should he fancy to pick up the box cutter himself. “See the razor blade on this thing? That can literally slice your finger down to the bone. Do not ever touch it, understand?” He got the message.
As you can see, this enabled me to connect everything from one end to the other. I also had a large tape-packaging dispenser. I pointed out the serrated edge. My son was smart enough not to mess around as I built this gargantuan thing and he came up with a number of ideas himself.
Like spy holes…
He also wanted to ensure the castle was protected, so he came up with ‘wall holsters’ that could house two Styrofoam toy guns and a paper sword. He made all three of them. We will now refer to this section of the castle as the arms depot.
The key in all this? Get the kids involved, encourage them to use their imagination. Even if they can’t do the heavy lifting, they can contribute something. Guilt, I’ve found, works quite well if they are dicking around waiting for you to finish the job.
So if you find yourself with a huge number of oversized cardboard boxes, have at it!
Here’s the time lapse of us building this thing, which did not turn out as planned as I thought it would film at a slower pace. The next time I use a time lapse I’ll be better prepared.
The Rookie Father 