When it comes to fun at-home arts and crafts with kids, some of the best materials are already in your pantry. Round up some of your clean, dry empty cereal boxes and food cartons and work with your kids to make their own toys for a play village. Not only will they enjoy getting creative using things in new ways, this play village reduces your own waste by reusing something that would’ve otherwise gone into the recycling bin. When it comes to fun kid-centric crafts, it takes a play village!

Empty food boxes/containers

Packing or masking tape

Scrapbook or construction paper

Scissors

Hot glue

Ruler

Glue stick

Streamers

Optional: Faux trees, plants, and moss

Start with clean, empty containers. Using your tape, seal the boxes or containers closed if necessary. On some boxes, if they have flaps on top, you can tape them together to form a roof.

Using whatever color or textured of scrapbook paper you like (we used different brick patterns), wrap the boxes like you’d wrap a present. Kids might need a little help with this. If you prefer not to see the tape, adults can use hot glue to seal the edges.