We don’t buy a lot of things online and haven’t made a big appliance purchase in…forever. So one thing we lack around here are giant boxes.
Expect this one largish box cluttering up my craft/laundry/holiday storage room. It came with a load of Christmas presents inside and got stuffed in a corner. Forgotten.
Until I needed to sew something yesterday and figured out the box was in the way of my sewing machine and no one had noticed the dang thing yet to haul it to the trash. So I lugged it upstairs and Mitch, my 5-year-old, lit up like I was bringing him a new toy.
“Can I have that?”
Well, it had already missed 10 or 12 trash days, so I figured one more wasn’t going to hurt. I turned over the box.
While sewing something, my kid showed up with ninja stealth and scared me to death. He was holding a torn off flap of the box, with an airplane drawn on it in marker.
“Can you cut this out?”
I was near my craft gear, so cutting out the airplane was quick and easy. He flew away with it, happy with his creativity.
Later I was in the kitchen.
“Hey mom! There’s a package for you!”
I looked over at the doorway and there was the box. Closed and giggling. He got “mailed” several times that afternoon.
He drew windows on it and called it a house. He added a cat door–for his stuffed animals.
This morning I snapped the photo you see on this blog. He was cuddled up inside the box, with an afghan, a stuffed animal, and my ipad.
I think it’s going to be a long while before this box ever makes it to the trash. But that’s ok. He’s playing with it more than most of the gifts that were delivered in the box in the first place.
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Yup! Just got a box over the weekend that had stored my wedding dress. Within seconds of it on the floor, my three-year-old decorated the door with gauzy scarves and called it her “fort.” Amazing what big boxes are to young children.
It’s funny how children take the smallest, simplest things and have the most fun with them! Between boxes and the little peanuts that are used to sometimes stuff packages, my kids are head over heels and entertained for HOURS! Stopping in from SITS!
I remember those days! My kids are past the play in the box stage but now I have cats that do the same thing. Any box that comes into the house can keep the kitties entertained for hours on end…in and out, underneath, even hide and seek with their pals…it actually keeps the kids and the grownups entertained watching them!
[...] Thinking Outside – or Inside – of the Box [...]
[...] Thinking Outside – or Inside – of the Box [...]
[...] Thinking Outside – or Inside – of the Box [...]
Kids are so creative–innately. I love the picture of your son–that will be a nice memory for him when he grows up! I have one of 2 of my girls in a huge moving box. I also have one of a “dog house” I made for a birthday party that was all about puppies. I cut out a dog house door, decorated it, and had each of the kids pose for a picture in it (after I painted whiskers and a little nose on them with face paint).
What a great “every day” occurrence well captured. Great photo. Great memories. Don’t you just love kids?
Boxes are wonderful. At Christmas my granddaughter used one to make a home for her rubber duckies. It’s still in the kitchen at her house. Boxes also make great cars and you can swirl them around on a smooth floor. Thanks for the pic and the post. Enjoy your SITS Day.
I just LOVE this! It put a huge smile on my face because I love the way that children look at things so differently than we do. Yesterday’s garbage equals today’s new home
I could totally see my little boy do something like this too! Thank you so much for sharing and enjoy your SITS day!
Thanks! We have such a hard time getting rid of anything made of cardboard around here. Yesterday the kid got mad at me because he found an empty toilet paper tube in the trash can!
Gotta love it. My son is almost 6 and he still likes playing with the oddest stuff. Room filled with toys but wants to play with my measuring tape! Congrats on your SITS Day.
My little guys love boxes, too. I love the creativity they inspire!
When my nephew turned one, I gave him 2 boxes of diapers from the local buy-in-bulk store. I told his mom the diapers were to help her out and the boxes were for him. Because he will seriously enjoy those boxes more than any stupid toy I could’ve bought.
Oh yes. The infamous giant box. I have fond memories of playing in them with my little sister when we moved one time!
Happy SITS Day.
we have a box in the yard right now! it’s been rained on, but still in action as a fort/house/play area.
There’s no better gift than having an irrepressible imagination!
I loved when my girls would make toys out of boxes, had their “credit cards” with the fake cards that used to come in the mail, fake keys. It makes them use their imagination. Happy SITS Day!
Aw! This brings back some great memories of my kids and how much fun they had with boxes! Honestly, it really is great to let them use their imagination! Great post!
Stopping by from SITS – when I was little, I used to love playing with boxes like that
this is so funny because my husband always says that boys can find happiness and hours of play with a cardboard box. hilarious! your SITS Day is officially over, but i wanted to come support. Hope you enjoyed your feature day.
Mitch sure sounds like a fun kid!! And boxes take a long time to make it to the trash at my house too! Most often they end up as very detailed airplanes for my 2 and 5 year olds.
[...] Thinking Outside – or Inside – of the Box [...]