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Explore engineering with this simple cardboard elevator. Then use your imagination to turn it into a parking structure lift, a dollhouse feature, or anything you like!

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Cut the lid off your crate. We'll use both the base and the lid in our lift construction.

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Cut a strip of cardboard from the lid, making it slightly narrower than the interior depth of the crate. If you're using a crate, this would be about 3 inches. Next, place the cardboard strip next to the box. Note where the sides of the box end, and mark the placement, going a little narrower than the width of the box. If you're using a crate, this would be just under 6 inches. You'll use this portion to create the inside of your lift. Score and fold the edges of the strip up. Make sure that both of your tabs are even in length. This piece will be the base of your lift.

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Next cut a thin strip from the remaining cardboard lid, about 1 or 2 inches. Place this strip next to the first wider strip and mark just inside the fold lines of the last strip you cut. Score and fold the flaps of this thinner strip down. This thinner strip will be the top of your lift.

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On the thin strip of cardboard, measure roughly a half inch from each side and punch a hole.

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Place the wider strip of cardboard on a flat surface with its tabs folded upward. Then, put the thinner strip on top and fold its flaps downward. The thin strip should fit just along the inside flaps of the wider base strip, creating a rectangular shape. Use hot glue to attach them together.

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Measure out and cut a length of string that is about twice the height of your crate when it's standing upright. Loop the string through the holes and tie your string together in a simple overhand knot.

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Now that all of your pieces are made, It's time to decorate! Use assorted cardstock and patterned tape to design your lift any way you would like!

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With the base of your crate upright, mark two holes along the sides of the box, about an inch from the top. Use a craft knife to cut these holes out, cutting them wide enough to fit the wooden dowel.

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Insert your dowel into the two holes. Your dowel should be level.

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Place the lift at the base of the crate, with the string and holes on top. Find the center of the looped string and tape it to the center of the dowel rod. It is important to get this centered or else your lift will not operate correctly.

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You now have a working lift! To make your lift go up, twist the dowel so the string wraps around the dowel, pulling up the lift. What fun objects can you find to put on your lift? What are some everyday machines that use a similar mechanism?

Want to make your elevator less work to use? Try cutting a cardboard circle and attach it to one end of the dowel. With the wheel added, you’ve turned plain old dowel into a wheel and axle mechanism. A wheel and axle is a super-handy simple machine used in everything from doorknobs to vehicles to — you guessed it — elevators. Together, the wheel and axle allows you to lift heavier loads than without it. If you’re only lifting pom-poms and cardboard, of course, it doesn’t make much difference. But if you were building a real elevator lifting thousands of pounds, you’d want all the help you could get!

crate or box

dowel

string / twine

tape

hot glue

scissors

craft knife

cardstock

hole punch

Cardboard Elevator

sounds

sound science

musical instrument

music

Create a recycled musical instrument using just an empty cardboard box and rubber bands. Then decorate, play, and explore sound vibrations!

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Open your crate and paint the bottom and inner sides with a bright and fun color acrylic paint. Wait for the paint to dry. 

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Close the box and find a round shape to trace for the main sound hole of the guitar. We used a medium sized bowl, but a wide drinking glass or a CD would work too. Close your crate and lay the round item on top of the lid so it's centered width-wise on the crate, but closer to one end. Trace the edge with a pen or pencil. 

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Using a craft knife, make the initial cut into the traced line. Always make sure to cut away from you! Continue cutting along the traced line around the entire circle. If needed, have a parent help with this step.

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Now turn your crate and look at the side panel of the box near the big hole. Place your craft tube on the center of the top panel and trace it. With a parent's help, carefully cut out the traced circle.

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The craft tube will serve as the neck of the guitar. Decorate it and get creative! We wrapped bright paper around the neck and also added pom poms to represent the tuning pegs of the guitar. If you like, you could also decorate it with paint or washi tape. 

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Insert the craft tube into the smaller hole along the side of the box. If necessary, add some hot glue to the sides of the hole to keep the neck in place.

Fold a piece of cardstock paper a few times over, like an accordion. Glue the folded paper below the large hole, on the opposite end of the guitar neck. This will serve as the bridge for your guitar, lifting the rubber bands off the crate.

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Loop four long rubber bands (2 on each side of the craft tube) around the crate.

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Strum the DIY guitar! We found that adding different thicknesses and sizes of rubber bands to create different tones! We also tied a ribbon to our guitar to represent a guitar strap.

empty crate

craft tube

4 rubber bands

card stock

pen or pencil

pom poms

acrylic craft paint

paint

small bowl

glue gun

Cardboard Guitar

building

construction

craft

homemade craft

Use a drinking straw and string to create a mechanical finger, inspired by the way our finger joints work.&nbsp;

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Use your scissor to make angled cuts on a straw.&nbsp;

Make sure the straw is still intact and that you're not cutting all the way through the straw.

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Repeat step one two more times. Try spacing out the cuts to imitate the joints in your finger! 

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Cut the string just a bit longer than the straw and thread it through the straw. Tape one end of the string to the end of the straw. 

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On the other end, pull on the excess string and watch your straw finger curl! How many more fingers can you create? Challenge yourself by making a straw hand using cardboard - you might even be able to pick something up with your hand mechanism! 

straws

string

cardboard (optional)

Straw Fingers

robot

robotics

electronics

Transform old bottle caps into little robots that dance and scoot in all kinds of surprising ways!

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Stick the mounting sticker down on the top of the bottle cap.

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Stick the battery and motor on top of the bottle cap side-by-side. Important: Make sure the head of the motor is free to spin!

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Use the wire strippers to cut the leads of the motor and battery to be the same length. Strip the plastic off the ends of the wires.

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Twist the ends of the black wires together and the ends of the red wires together. Your bottle cap should start to vibrate!

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Use a piece of clay to stick the loose wires to the sides of the bottle cap.

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You can change how your bot steers by sticking a small piece of clay to the bottom of the bottle cap. See if you can find a way to get your bot to travel in a straight line, or try setting up an obstacle course for your bot to navigate!

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Add googly eyes or stickers to give your bots some personality! Set your bottle cap bot on a flat surface and watch it go! Your bot will behave differently on different surfaces. Does it run best on wood, cardboard, carpet, or tile?

bottle cap (any kind)

coin cell battery (with leads)

small vibration motor (with leads, 3V or less)

double stick foam

clay

wire stripper

Bottle Cap Bots

decorations

gift

handmade gifts

Christmas

Handmade Christmas Gifts & Cards

Christmas crafts

birthday

quick craft

everyday materials

3 material crafts

I love coming up with the perfect gift for everyone on my list. I put a lot of care into making sure the gifts are personal and thoughtful no matter the size. But for some reason, I have no patience for wrapping the gifts! Lucky for me, I came across a simple idea to make little gifts extra special, and best of all, I already had all the materials (and I bet you do too)! Yes - old toilet paper rolls can make for a perfect little gift. Give your wrapping paper and boxes a break, grab some recycled tubes and some ribbon and get wrapping.Looking for more ways to help your little one create handmade gifts? <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/animal-bath-bombs-project-kit/2784" target="_self">Animal Bath Bombs</a> from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a> are the perfect way for your little crafter to dip their toes into bubbly bathtime chemistry!

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Carefully bend in the ends to create half-moon-shaped flaps.

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Open one end of the tube, slip in your gift, and fold it back up again. Decorate it with some festive ribbon or crepe paper to finish your mini gift box. It's the perfect size for small presents or stocking stuffers!

toilet paper tubes

Scissors

ribbon

Gift Boxes from Cardboard Rolls

food decoration

sustainable crafts

household craft

It is summertime which means warm evenings and fruits are aplenty. Going to the farmers market on the weekends is a favorite family tradition of mine so I was excited to transform a handful of fresh oranges into a set of nifty, natural burning candles. Orange peels naturally contain an essential oil called limonene, which is flammable (you may have encountered flaming limonene as a garnish for fancy cocktails). The pith of an orange, however, contains very little limonene, and also tends to be drier than the rest of the peel or sections of juicy orange. These qualities make the pith a slow burner and ideal for a candle wick. Always be careful when using candles and fire. Be sure to only light the candles on a safe fireproof base. Never leave lit candles unattended or unsupervised by an adult.Want to explore more kitchen science experiments? Explore the tastier side of learning with <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/science-of-cooking-bread-butter-project-kit/5463" target="_self">Science of Cooking: Bread &amp; Butter </a>from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>!

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Take your orange and slice it in half horizontally. Have an adult help or carefully supervise any cutting necessary for this project.

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Remove (and eat!) the middle portion of the orange while leaving the white stem intact. This step can get messy so we recommend doing it over the sink. Carefully cut along the perimeter of the orange to loosen it up. Then use a spoon to scrape out the insides. Be very careful not to poke a hole through the peel. Remove all of the fruit from the inside so that only white remains on the inside. The pith is now your natural wick!

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Pat the inside with a paper towel. Then fill the orange with oil until just below the top of the white stem. 

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Carefully light the stem with a lighter or match until it starts to burn. An adult should perform or carefully supervise this step, if needed. You now have a natural burning candle! The wick will continue to suck up the oil in the base of the orange and keep the fire going.

If you have trouble lighting the wick, it may be too wet. Try to dry the wick with a paper towel and then let the candle sit for a few minutes so that it can soak up the oil before lighting again.

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To make it a bit more unique, you can hollow out the top half of the orange and place it over the base to create a soft orange glow. Just remember to cut out enough holes so the fire can breathe. You can continue to experiment with different oils and citrus fruits. Do some citrus fruits last longer than others? What oil seems to burn better?  Enjoy lighting up your evenings with these beautiful natural candles!

What's going on? Candle wicks are designed to do two things: burn very slowly, and draw up fuel (either wax, or, in this case, vegetable oil) to slowly feed the flame. In the case of your orange candle, the dry pith burns slowly at its top, and heats up oil below it. The now-heated oil flows up the pith via capillary action and keeps the flame going. Because the pith burns so slowly, your orange candle should stay lit for many hours. To experiment with the more combustible side of oranges, save a bit of your extra orange peel, and after you've lit your orange candle, carefully spray some orange zest through the flame (keeping your face and hands away from it). You should be able to see a small but exciting explosion - that's the orange's flammable limonene in action.

Panda Crate

Sprout: Koala Crate

Labs: Kiwi Crate

World: Atlas Crate

Studio: Doodle Crate

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Studio: Maker Crate

Labs: Eureka Crate

71 fun recycled projects for kids

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