But Where Will We Play? Let's Start with Cardboard

Henry Dragenlo is a dear friend, Brighton Heights parent, former children's and teen librarian at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and a former Teaching Artist at the Children's Museum's Make Shop.   He currently works at the Cyert Center for Early Education at Carnegie Mellon University.   This will be a regular feature on our blog and in Bread, Salt, Broom, our newsletter! 

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What I hope you wonder about when you’re looking at a house is: ‘where will we play?’ Sometimes this forms around a playroom idea, but you can also imagine what playing will look like in your common areas, too. Easy examples are tabletop and board games (it’s in the name!), and video games, which are often integrated with other screen areas. But don’t overlook the beauty of playing with toys and exploring other kinds of materials, too.

Why dream about space for play materials? Think about it this way:

Materials are languages, and they are often a language that kids can use far far better than the ones they speak and write in.

Sometimes, using materials to show our thoughts or represent ourselves can be far more accurate or convincing than words (y’know: sculpture and visual art!) So making a space for play and creativity in your home welcomes so many more conversations and revelations about who we are, who our kids are, and understanding each other. That’s what makes relationships and families and memories that matter. Who wouldn’t want to make space for that?

Let’s start with an easy idea. You’re moving in, it’s finally all happening, so many dreams are coming true and others are just coming into view. Why not save the boxes you used in the move and do something fun with them? These boxes are waaaaay bigger, better and sturdier than cereal boxes, so you’ll be able to do more. Plus, you probably have some empty or at least not quite organized spaces, so run with that! Set up a cardboard area and have fun building. Try not to worry about the results (or the mess) because, hey, it’s just cardboard!

Here’s some tools, materials and processes to get going. My main method to building, especially with cardboard is to use three questions:

• Is it supposed to just look like something, or work like something? Think of a cardboard car. A 2D car shape is a different project than a 3D car you can sit in.
• What are the parts of the thing?
• How do the parts go together? What connects to what?

Realistically, you’ll blend these ideas and answers throughout a project, so don’t try to have all the answers before you start. It’s just a guide for how to proceed when you might not know what to do next.

Once you have an idea, get working! Building means attaching cardboard together, so here are some more secure and fun ways to do that than just tape:

Speaking of tape, that’s probably another material you have in spades during a move, so lucky you! I’ll say that relying on tape alone usually doesn’t do the trick, but it’s hard to build without it. Hot glue is another step up, but not exactly necessary. 

What about cutting? Again, you may have some box cutters on hand, but maybe you don’t want to use those with kids. Scissors are possible but sometimes tough to get through thick cardboard. Get ready for a crazy idea, but I like to use hacksaw blades (you can get a handle or tape cardboard around part of them to make a handle). They have tiny tiny teeth that make it weirdly difficult to break skin, but kids of any age can get through cardboard with no sweat.

If you want a more complete cutting and attaching option, I also really like the Makedo kit. Just remember in all the fun that whatever the thing you make out of cardboard, the really amazing thing you’re making is memories, and a home.