We partnered up with Bashas’ Supermarkets, our hometown grocer, for the 4th Annual Easter Festival at The Wigwam Resort hosted by Hickman’s Family Farms. We created custom bunny ear stickers that repurposed hundreds of recycled toilet paper rolls. The ears were a huge hit!
Thank you, Bashas’, for supporting small local businesses. We had a blast!
Spring into action with the kiddos! Creating a garden is a simple family activity that is sure to please all. And, have yummy results!
Supplies needed: Bashas’ egg carton, a dozen eggshells, seeds, small spoon, pushpin, potting soil and water.
Step 1: Empty eggshells. Use knife to gently crack along the tops of each egg. Thoroughly wash out each eggshell and dry. (We made delicious scrambled eggs.)
Step 2: Poke holes on the bottoms of each eggshell for better drainage. (hint: it may be easier doing this step while the egg is still whole – less fragile than empty shells.)
Step 3: Place seeds in separate containers.
Step 4: Using a small spoon, fill eggshell halfway with potting soil.
Step 5: Place seeds in eggshell. Kids love to help!
Step 6: Cover seeds with more potting soil and place in egg carton.
Step 7: Repeat 11 times.
Step 8: Create labels for each variety of seeds. We chose to use bamboo skewers left over from a party.
Step 9: Add water to each eggshell. We used about 3-4 spoonfuls to moisten the soil.
Done! Place egg carton on a windowsill or outside so it gets plenty of sunlight. Be sure to water regularly (Keep moist but do not over water). Depending on variety, seedlings should start to sprout in 7-10 days.
We are thrilled to see our first sprout just after 3 days!
Basil was the first to sprout but the tomatoes are growing the fastest.
Carrots are finally sprouting.
What is sustainability? “It means different things to different people. But it affects us all – how we treat one another, our planet and our future. Sustainability is the greatest opportunity we have today to ensure we have our best possible future.”
We are so honored to be a part of the first-ever ASU Sustainability Solutions Festival held February 17-22, 2014. This fun, full-day event focused on educating, entertaining and inspiring kids and parents about sustainability was held at Arizona Science Center. How can we all reduce, reuse, recycle and innovate for a better tomorrow?
We created a custom eco-friendly binocular sticker for the event and had hundreds and hundreds of recycled toilet paper rolls on hand to upcycle and re-purpose into interactive, simple toys with hundreds of kids. I brought along my enthusiastic little helper so it made the day even more special.
Kids always think “outside of the box (or roll)”.
Custom designed binocular stickers for the event.
![photo 1[3]](http://blog.boxplayforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/photo-13.jpg)
Camel art made up of tiny plastic recycled toys.
Our neighbors at the event made DIY self-watering planters with recycled water bottles and string.
A big thank you goes to ASU Sustainaibilty Solutions Festival for putting on this very impressive week-long festival and also to Arizona Science Center for hosting the event that launched this celebration!
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend my Saturday evening eating chocolate donut holes, doing fun crafts, and hanging out with my favorite little four-year-old friend. Like me, this sassy chica is a big fan of arts & crafts so I always have a project or two up my sleeve when I come over for a babysitting date. Since Friendship Day is right around the corner {yes…that is a holiday} we ended up making BFF (best friends forever) necklaces and magazine picture frames. Whether or not you’re actually celebrating Friendship Day this Sunday, August 4th, these fun and eco-friendly {pun intended} projects will make for the perfect girls night!
Project #1: BFF Necklaces
Supplies: Scrap cardboard or card stock {a recycled cereal box works great}, aluminum foil, tape, scissors, a hole punch, string or yarn, colored Sharpies, and a ballpoint pen.
Step 1: Cut a heart shape out of your cardboard. Then cut a zigzag line thru the center of the heart. 
Step 2: Cover the heart halves with tin foil. Secure the foil with some tape on the back. Use a hole punch to make holes at the top of each half.
Step 3: Use a ballpoint pen and colored Sharpies to decorate your necklace pendants. Thread a piece of yarn or string through each pendant to create necklaces.
So then Miss Chloe and I had a little photo shoot with our new BFF bling…
And of course every photo needs a frame which brings me to our next project.
Project #2: Magazine Frames
Supplies: Scrap cardboard {a recycled box works great}, old magazines, a pair of scissors, a ruler, a paint brush, tape, a pencil, an exacto knife, and Mod Podge.
Step 1: Grab your pencil, ruler, knife, and cardboard. Clearly, this step is not for the kiddos since it involves a sharp exacto knife and some pretty technical measuring. Assuming you’re designing around a 4 x 6 in photo, the inside dimensions of your frame should measure 3.5 x 5.5 in (to create a .25 in lip around the image) and the outside dimensions should be about 5.5 x 7.5 in. I also cut out a 5 x 7.5 in backplate and a trapezoidal stand for my frame.
Step 2: Now comes the fun part. Flip through your favorite old magazines looking for fun images, words, typography, colors, and textures. Use a paintbrush and Mod Podge to apply the magazine scraps to your cardboard frame. If you haven’t discovered Mod Podge, prepared to fall in love with this magical gluey gloss. Although tempting, there’s no need to decorate the backplate or frame stand.
Step 3: Once your decorated frame is dry, tape your favorite photo to the back of the frame. Secure by taping on the backplate over the photo. Use your knife to score a vertical flap through the cardboard stand and secure to the bottom edge of your frame with more tape. Note: You may need to use your knife to adjust the bottom angle of the stand.
BEST FRIENDS RULE!! Happy Friendship Day!
Thank you, My Mom Shops, for voting for Box Play for Kids as Best New Product at New York International Gift Fair! Read article.
