Recycling Projects: Cereal Box Magazine Holders

Cereal Box Magazine Holders

Supplies Needed:

• Cereal box (or cracker box, or wine box, or pancake mix box, etc.) about 10.5 inches tall
• Scissors
• Glue and/or tape
• Ruler
• Markers, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, paint, paintbrush etc.
• Construction paper, scrap paper OR
• Wrapping paper, designed paper

This will be a fun project for the kids that will allow them to draw and color and be creative. Be sure to supervise them with cutting the boxes, or do it for them, so they don’t get hurt and so the measurements are done correctly. If you’re going to let them do the cutting, it might be easier to mark the boxes beforehand so they know where to cut. Also, avoid buying new paper for this project. Use paper that you already have! Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Steps:

1. Cut the box to create an open space inside, but be sure to leave at least three inches along the top, and at least five inches along the bottom. The above picture should help. 
2. The connection you make between Line A and Line B can be straight or curvy, like in the photo above. Either one looks good, and it’s up to you! 

Straight edge:

Curvy Edge (on left):

3.  So, now you have a plain cereal box. Time to make it special! Cover the outside of the box with paper using glue and tape. To give the kids space to draw and decorate on, use construction paper, loose leaf paper, computer paper, etc. If you recycle your paper, get out your recycle bin and look for some bigger pieces that you previously discarded to cover your box with. You may have to cut the paper to make it fit the contours of your box. You can fold the edges of the paper over the lip of the box and into the inside for a smoother look, like such:

4. Once your box is covered in paper, let the decorating party begin!

5. If you want a more formal look to better match the interior of your home, rather than kid scribbles, use wrapping paper or elegant pre-designed paper to cover your box instead.

6. Your box is ready for use! Insert magazines! Or folders! Or work papers! Or mail! Your magazine box is very versatile. Save up your cereal boxes and make more than one! These can make good gifts for your disorganized friends and family, or your kids’ teachers.

Places to put your new magazine box

• The bathroom (on top of the toilet lid, on the counter, in between the toilet and counter, or wherever else it fits!)
• The headboard of your bed, or on top of your dresser
• The living room (on the bookshelf, on the lower shelf of a side table, on the coffee table, on the entertainment center)
• Your home office
• The kitchen (on the table, on the counter; it can store your recipes and recipe books!)
• Your child’s bedroom (to store their drawings, homework, notebooks, magazines, etc.)
•  Bring it to work and set it up at your desk! They could also be placed in your child’s locker at school.

Remember, you don’t need to be a kid to do activities from “Recycling Projects for Kids.” The point of this blog is to offer ideas for all of us to be greener. If you want to pretend that you’re a kid for long enough to do one of these projects, your secret is safe with me!

In order of appearance, pictures courtesy of:

http://www.thesitsgirls.com/diy/diy-home-decor/, http://www.papercraftsforchildren.com/2011/01/29/recycled-cereal-box-magazine-holders/, http://thewickerhouse.blogspot.com/2010/11/x-mas-gift-idea-3-cereal-box-magazine.html, and http://www.hopesewell.com/cracker-box-to-mag-holder/ 

Animal of the Month Update

It's a good thing I can edit my posts after I initially publish them, because I forgot to add some information about the Animal of the Month! My apologies. 

Picture courtesy of: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/endangered%20animal

Golden Capped Fruit Bats, like most bats, are primarily nocturnal, and they travel at least twenty-five miles in a single night searching for food. Primarily, they eat figs, although they will take other fruit if figs are unavailable. They release seeds in their droppings, often while flying. This method of seed dispersal helps maintain the Philippine rainforest.

Our furry friend has vanished from a number of small and medium-sized Philippine islands and is believed to have disappeared from the larger islands, such as Cebu, which have been completely deforested. As if loss of habitat isn't enough, the Golden Capped Fruit Bat's large size and colony living makes it easy for poachers to find them.

Map courtesty of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_golden-crowned_flying_fox

Green= current habitat, Orange= possibly extinct from this area, Black= extinct from this area

Organizations promoting the conservation of the Golden Capped Fruit Bat include Bat Conservation International (BCI), the Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the Lubee Foundation. I have followed BCI since I was a child, and this Friday's edition of the Activism Spotlight will feature BCI. Be sure to read this post to find out how you can support his organization, which in turn promotes bat conservation worldwide, including our endangered friends in the Philippines. 

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_golden-crowned_flying_fox
http://www.animalinfo.org/species/bat/acerjuba.htm

Viridorari's next post will be out on Friday the 21st and will include the Activism Spotlight, an Animal of the Month Update, and the blog's first weekly guest writer, who will be covering Suggested Reading. Like always, it will be published by 6pm. 

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