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SHADOW BOXES CRAFTS FOR KIDS : Ideas for Arts and Crafts Projects & Activities for How to Make Shadow Boxes for children, teens, and preschoolers

Shadow Boxes

The shadowbox may serve many purposes and be correlated with many subjects. A small box is excellent for depicting scenes from children's stories, poems, or songs; a shoe box makes an unusual make-believe aquarium for children--paper, wooden, or metal fish can be suspended from the top of the box with string, yarn or wire.

A large cardboard box with the top and part of the front removed can serve as a puppet theater and may also be used for a study in interior decoration with the addition of doors and windows, curtains, furniture, and rugs.

CRAFTS MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. Cardboard box

2. Rubber cement, glue, paste, tape, or stapler

3. Scissors

4. Assorted paper and cardboard

5. Tempera, watercolor, showcard, or poster paint, colored inks, crayons, markers, or chalks

6. Paint brush if paints are used

7. Trash--bits of cloth, ribbon, yarn, cotton, twigs, driftwood, dried coffee grounds, clay, salt and flour mixture, pipe cleaners, etc.

NOTE: All of these materials are not necessary but they are suggested so that you may choose any or all of the materials to make the shadowbox of your choice.

HOW TO MAKE SHADOW BOXES

1. Design a background for the picture using any technique you like. Perhaps one of the following will please you:

a. Potato prints
b. Crayon engraving
c. Chalk stencils
d. Finger paintings
e. Torn paper designs
f. Paper punch designs
g. Watercolor, tempera
h. Corrugated cardboard

2. Trees can be made from (get more ideas for trees here)

a. Paper sculpture
b. Tissue can be modelled into foliage for trees and painted with watercolor or tempera. The trunks of the trees can be made out of small twigs, dried weeds, or paper cylinders.
c. Sponges or bits of sponges when painted make attractive foliage.
e. Get more ideas for trees here

3. Houses, Barns, and other Buildings Can Be Made From (get ideas for buildings here)

a. Cardboard
b. Paper sculpture
c. Tiny Boxes
d. get more ideas for making buildings here

4. Figures and other animals can be made from (get ideas for animals here)

a. Construction paper
b. Wire
c. Pipe Cleaners
d. Cloth or yarn over clothespins
e. Clay
f. Papier-mache
g. more animals ideas here...

MORE IDEAS FOR SHADOW BOXES

Making Shadow Boxes How to Make Display Shadow Boxes - Learn how to make these shadow boxes to display your favorite things.