Play Kitchen from Cardboard Boxes

Landon's very own kitchen. He looooooooves it. :) And the best part? It didn't cost me ANYTHING.

It all started with Pinterest. I'm seriously obsessed. If you have yet to jump on that bandwagon, I advise you to wait no longer! I'll even put a link right here for you: Pinterest Home. Anyway, I've been finding some fun activities and DIY toys for toddlers on there. One idea was to make a play oven out of a cardboard box. Yes, that's all fine and dandy... if you can find a good box. Well, earlier this week, the fates were in my favor and low and behold, I stumbled upon some huge piles of GREAT boxes outside the back of Joanns. So, after two days of work... ta dah!

Play Kitchen from Cardboard Boxes
Materials:

• Three boxes. (You need some extra cardboard to make shelves.)
• Paint (Optional)
• Bowl with rim
• Pump dispenser thingy (I don't really know what you call these.)
• Sponge (Cut up a couple squares)
• 4 CDs
• Cardstock (varying colors)
• 5 small lids
• Page protector
• A couple Popsicle sticks
• All the fun goodies to stock it with (food, pans, towel, etc...)

Instructions:

• Build. Assemble the boxes. Cut off the smaller flaps on each box. One will then be left with two long flaps on each side for the fridge doors. On the other, go ahead and tape the long flaps shut. 
• Cut. On the completely taped box, trace and cut where you want to have oven and cabinet doors. (I cut a hole in my oven door for a window.)
• Paint. If desired, paint the boxes. I happened to have some random white paint so I used that.
• Add Handles. Attach all the door handles. I just used some yard, poked holes and tied it in. 
• Finish fridge. (Box #1) Measure and cut a few shelves for inside. (This is what the extra box is for.) Hot glue into place. Stock with fun things. (Empty milk jug, empty egg carton with Easter eggs, fruit, snacks, etc...) On the doors, I added some cut out alphabet letters, piece of Landon's art, and constructed a pen holder out of cardboard, cardstock, and hot glue. Be creative! 
• Finish Oven/Stove/Sink. (Box #2) Hot glue a page protector on the inside of the oven window. Cut a hole in the top for the sink; place the bowl inside. (My bowl is from a small rice cooker I don't use anymore.) Poke a hole for the spout and stick the dispenser pump in there. (Thankfully I never through away out empty lotion bottle so I had this one to use.) Glue down a piece of 12x12 cardstock for the stove base. Trace a CD on black paper four times; cut those circles out. Glue each to a CD and rub the top. (The CD imprint makes it look like a coil.) Glue those into place on the base cardstock. Trace some cardstock circles for each of the nobs. (Make them slightly bigger of course.) Glue the cardstock into place on the box. Poke a hole through the center of each. Hot glue yarn to the middle underside of each cap. String the yarn through the holes and tie on the back. (I added a little hot glue too.) You could just glue the caps to the box but this makes it so they can turn, which it seriously one of Landon's favorite parts. We happened to have an old towel hanger so I hot glued that to the side and added a towel. I also added some Popsicle stick reinforcements on the sides of the oven when the box was just taped together. Makes it a little more sturdy. Stock it with pans, bowls, cups, an empty cleaning bottle, rag, brush, sponges, etc...
• Let the fun begin!