Frugal Kids: Free Building Setby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 10 Dec 2006 10:07 AM My 5-year-old son loves to build things. He carefully plans out machines and devices that in his imagination could do everything from picking up toys to feeding the cat. Sure we have invested in Legos, K'nex and Mega Blocs, but the downside to these toys is that unless you have an unlimited budget, the various pieces can add up in expense. Also, you can't save any of the creations to display unless you never want to build anything with the pieces again. Our family's solution was to establish a building box. Remember Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Johnny Depp)? Charlie's dad brings home all sorts of misfired toothpaste caps in incredible shapes, and Charlie uses them to build his own model of the wondrous chocolate factory. It is an inspired idea. In our house, we save all sorts of interesting containers, lids, etc and store them in the building box. Whenever our son is looking for something to build, he explores the box and uses whatever is in there. It is a great creative outlet, uses up items we would otherwise throw away and is absolutely free (with the exception of maybe a bit of glue or tape). We have passed some of the one-of-a-kind creations on to grandparents, who display them with pride. Below is a list of some of the things we have found to make the best building materials. You can probably come up with more on your own, and don't be surprised if your child has his or her own suggestions. You can even add inexpensive items such as pipe-cleaners and google eyes to the box for a special surprise. Just make sure to check all items carefully for sharp edges before you give them to your child. For this reason, I don't recommend plastic soda bottles, because they can yield sharp edges when cut. This idea is especially good for ages 4 and up.
Related Articles Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments kelseybudelsey (30) 27 Jul 2008 04:58 PMHere is something that I did as a child, my family and I would go to a furniture store, and get a big BIG box. Then we would go home and set it in our living room. After that we would cut out a door and windows, and my mom would give us kids some crayons and markers, and off we went. After we were all done drawing, we could sleep, read, do crafts and whatever in our new dream home. I can't think of one child that wouldn't enjoy having there own little house. And the best part is that it is free! (except for the markers and crayons) I hope you enjoy this idea! kelseybudelsey (30) 27 Jul 2008 04:58 PMHere is something that I did as a child, my family and I would go to a furniture store, and get a big BIG box. Then we would go home and set it in our living room. After that we would cut out a door and windows, and my mom would give us kids some crayons and markers, and off we went. After we were all done drawing, we could sleep, read, do crafts and whatever in our new dream home. I can't think of one child that wouldn't enjoy having there own little house. And the best part is that it is free! (except for the markers and crayons) I hope you enjoy this idea!  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 27 Jul 2008 06:25 PMThanks Kelsey! We did the same thing for our kids a few years ago. It was the hit of all the kids who came over for play dates. Thanks for sharing the idea. kelseybudelsey (30) 17 Aug 2008 07:45 PMdo you have any more ideas about "building" for free? Community Tags activities, building, crafts, Kids Discuss this article
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