Teachers took supplies out of boxes and when they were emptied, gave them to some of the children who were interested in using them to add to their block play space. The children began using them to build a tall, multi-level structure for animals. Large blocks are available for such use, but up to this point they had only been used in a single layer. To support this new interest and skill, teachers began collecting boxes of all different sizes. The boxes were housed on a large area rug near the block space where large scale building could be achieved. It was at this time that the book, Boxitects by Kim Smith, was shared during group time. This story showed how two girls could use boxes to build the most amazing things. After the story, the box area quickly became popular, and children would spend considerable amounts of time there. Markers and stickers were provided to encourage children to create their own ideas of what they wanted their structures to look like and their purpose.
The children spent many hours building and working with the cardboard boxes but they eventually became broken down, so the teachers repurposed them to use in art experiences. Children painted the bigger pieces of cardboard with large paint brushes; used golf tees and plastic hammers to hammer into smaller boxes; and even used the smaller pieces of cardboard as paint brushes. Children then worked together to create 3D art pieces by taping the cardboard together.
The children moved some of their ideas outside into the garden space where they climbed into the larger boxes to use as cars, beds, and tents. They stacked the boxes to build stores to sell “food” they made from sticks, plants, and dirt. They even flattened and took apart some boxes to act as roofs for their structures.
Teachers were able to take this child-driven interest and make it a focus within all the areas of the curriculum. Some of the skills that the children built upon included: problem-solving; collaboration; measuring and counting; balance and weight; communication; and expression of creativity. In the end, the children transferred the skills they learned from using the boxes into improved and elevated skills in the block area.
