Need a great craft idea for you and your kiddos to create together this summer? The Cape Discovery Catalog from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores is a perfect source for crafty inspiration!
I love the Jungle Diorama featured in their catalog, but I wanted my version to be more purposeful and interactive. Thinking back to the Mini Adventures Sandboxes that I made with the kids last year, I decided to make another interactive box. Here's how to make a Rainforest Box that the kids can play with...
Interactive Rainforest Box for Kids
Supplies
- Photo storage box
- Toob Animals: Rainforest, Monkeys & Apes
- Dried mini ferns
- Large polished river rocks
- Deluxe moss assortment
- Smilax leaf spray
- Leaf spray with bamboo stem
- Foam brush
- Acrylic paint: blue and brown
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Wire cutters
Directions
- Paint the inside of the box blue and brown to serve as the sky and dirt backdrop for your rainforest. The kids will love helping with this part.
- Use the hot glue gun to glue down the rocks and moss. Stack some of the rocks on top of each other even having the moss "creep up" on them.
- Use the wire cutters to cut your leaf and bamboo greenery into pieces. I made our pieces a little smaller than the height of the box. Glue ferns and your bamboo and leaf pieces around the rocks and along the inside of the box. Note: Since my kids are little, I operated the hot glue gun and wire cutters. The ferns were thin enough for them to break into smaller pieces. And they were also more than capable of helping me place the items onto the glue.
- Give the kids the Toob Animals to place into their new "home".
We did not glue the animals down, they could be moved around at will. If your kids are like mine, they will love playing with this interactive mini rainforest time and time again. Warning! The teacher in me is about to come out...
Extend the Fun into Learning!
Making and playing with boxes like these aid in sensory, tactile, and fine motor skills. They also foster creativity and imaginative play. Here are a few supplemental websites on the rainforest to implement into this activity.
Rainforest Websites for Kids
Would your kids enjoy this activity? What other kinds of interactive boxes could you make? Let me know your ideas in the comments below!
Happy summer crafting!
This is such a great idea and I love how the kids can help make it. We have tons of those Toob animals, so this would really come in handy. Pinning this - would love for you to link up to my Craftastic party too!
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