Fun with packaging

This week we've had a rowing machine delivered.  Why we have had a rowing machine delivered is entirely a different story which may appear on here at some point, but for today all you need to know is that it has been delivered.

Anyway, it came in a HUGE box which was, of course, a cause of much excitement among my children.  After much discussion it was decided that it should become a house (the last one became a castle and I believe we've had a boat at some point in the past).

Step 1. Acquire a big old cardboard box

Step 2. Use stanley knife with 'Jonathan' written on the side handily (and mysteriously) left in your garden after a barbecue at which there was nobody called Jonathan to cut slits and fold the cardboard ends into a roof shape.  By cutting through only one side of the cardboard the rest can be folded which gives a nice big base to attach the side to with glue and sellotape

Step 4. Use some more of the packing cardboard to cover over the rest of the roof

Step 5. Cut door in one end.  Three sides need to be cut right through the cardboard, the fourth side needs to be cut through just one layer of cardboard so that it will work as a hinge

Step 6. Use a similar method to cut the windows, leaving a hinge at the top.  We also found some clear plastic from an old folder to staple on to work as 'glass'

Step 7. Find some scraps of fabric for the children to make curtains with.  These have also been stapled on but just at the top so they hang and the window can still be opened.

Step 8. Add chimney your children have inexplicably insisted on.  Fill with cushions.  Wait for the inevitable how-many-of-us-can-we-fit-in-this-house fun which will follow