Cardboard boxes, books, and secret hiding places: as many parents know, these are three of kids’ favourite things. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve found kids snuggled with a pile of books in a playhouse made of a box, or a tent made of blankets. Books, boxes, and secret places stimulate kids’ imaginations and encourage them to play, and that in turn fosters intellectual and emotional development.
If you or your kids have ever watched an episode of “Super Why!” on Kids’ CBC, you have likely heard the refrain “Calling all Super Readers! To the Book Club!” Whyatt’s familiar words bring all of the other Super Readers together to solve a “super big problem”. The Book Club, located in Storybook Village, features a book for a roof, and pencils for sideposts. The inside contains the “Super Duper Computer” ands walls lined with books. Storybook Village, and the Book Club in particular, perfectly capture kids’ love of books, boxes, and hiding places, and their ability to imagine how common objects can be all sorts of uncommon things.
It’s easy to create your own mini-version of the Super Why Book Club. You will need:
- a cardboard box (preferably one without writing on it)
- four pencils
- a book large enough to cover the top of your box (we bought ours from the library discard table, but you can use any book you have at home)
- scraps of coloured paper
- green and yellow felt
- scissors
- liquid or hot glue
- tape
- a craft knife (adults only)
Select your cardboard box, and choose which side will be the front of your house:
We decided to use one of the short sides as our front. Use a craft knife to cut the front and back flaps of the house into a triangle shape (an adult’s job). Open the book, and lay it on top of the box to form the roof of your Book Club:
Create the book walls for the inside of your house. Cut out strips of construction paper in a variety of widths, and write the names of favourite books along the “spine” of each book:
Lift the roof off your Book Club. Glue book “wallpaper” to the inside walls of the Book Club. Glue a piece of gray or light purple paper to the floor. Add a green paper circle for a rug. Here is what the inside of our Book Club looks like from the top with the roof off:
Feel free to add any dollhouse furniture, or other bits of crafted furniture to your Book Club.
Use a craft knife to cut a large oval out of the front of your box (an adult’s job). Cut a peice of green felt slightly larger than the opening, and a large yellow question mark out of yellow felt. Glue question mark to green felt. Cut green felt in half:
Glue felt to inside of opening. Glue pencils to sides of your Book Club:
Just add some mini figurines, and use your imagination to act out your own story book endings.
