Don’t throw away empty cereal boxes. Here’s an easy and fun recycling art project you can work on with your kids. Find out how you can turn these boxes into useful book holders or filing cabinets.
What do you need
- empty cereal box
- Exacto knife or blade
- Pencil
- Eraser (optional)
- Rule
- Brush or roller
- Primer for acrylic paint, such as gesso
- Acrylic paint
- Double-sided tape or hot glue gun
- small scissors
- Colored washi tape, in 2 or 3 patterns
- Mod Podge
How to do
1. The cereal box will be used upside down, as the inner surface is not printed. Carefully disassemble the box using the knife or blade to loosen the glued areas.
2. Using the exacto knife, cut out the box in the shape shown. Slanted edges are at a 45 degree angle. For more precision, first use a pencil and ruler to mark where you are going to cut.
3. Use a brush or roller to paint the box with one to two coats of primer. Let the primer dry. When dry, paint with two coats of acrylic paint.
4. Reassemble the box upside down using double sided tape or a hot glue gun.
5. To create the chevron pattern, use the pencil to trace an even zigzag around the box. You just need to draw a zigzag line as a guide to start. It may be easier to start in the middle of the box.
6. Adhere the tape in a zigzag pattern, one row at a time, overlapping the ends. Use the blade or scissors to trim the ends. Use masking tape to finish all edges of the box as shown.
7. Once the design is complete, paint the entire box with two coats of Mod Podge to make the magazine rack more durable and give it a nice shine.
This article was first published in Young Parents.