Junk Genius

Your child picks recycled materials — boxes, tubes, lids — and builds whatever they dream up.

Category: Creativity · Duration: ~10 min

Materials

• cardboard boxes or tubes
• tape
• empty containers

1. Gather a pile of recycled materials: cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, plastic lids, egg cartons, bottle caps. 2. Add tape and maybe some string. That's the toolkit. 3. Ask, "What should we build?" A robot? A rocket? A castle? Follow their lead. 4. Help with taping if needed, but let them decide what goes where. There's no wrong answer. 5. When it's done, ask them to name it and explain what it does. "This is my rocket-dog-house. It flies to the moon."