Cardboard creations for the kids

Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine contributor Grayson Kamm is here from MOSI to talk about a toy that’s better for building things than Legos – and you already have a ton of it lying around your house.

People recycle cardboard boxes – but this is a whole new way to give them a new life.

We’ve all been there, when we see a kid open a present – and they end up having more fun with the box it came in than with the gift.

The boxes that your diapers and DVD players come in really are more versatile building tools than Legos or anything else.

You can build things that are artistic… that are useful… and that are any size, including *big*!

All this month at MOSI in our Idea Zone, we’re making “Cardboard Creations”.

Here are some things we’re making that you can try at home:

This is a “Batarang” – the boomerang that Batman uses.

We’re showing Batman vs. Superman later this month in our IMAX theatre, so this fits.

And turn this handle and watch the gears move – that’s all made of cardboard.

This is a cardboard machine anyone can make in about an hour with plans you can search for online.

In the Idea Zone at MOSI, you can take these things home – but we have one thing that’s not leaving: (hold up photo of huge cardboard dinosaur) this is a giant dinosaur called a Mosasaur that we’re building piece by piece – it’s about 20 feet long!

And if people want to turn their boxes into building toys, you have something that’ll really make it fun.

This little blue connector is called a Makedo – m-a-k-e d-o. And Makedo’s are specially designed to connect two pieces of cardboard. So… hooking the wings onto your refrigerator-box airplane or legs onto your cardboard puppy – anything!

I’ll show you how they work.

You order Makedo’s online. You can get 30 of these for about $12. And they even come with a special cardboard cutter that won’t cut little fingers.

It’s that easy, and you can end up with a cardboard creation like this if you just all of the empty boxes out your garage get all of the great ideas out of your imagination.

And if you like this, we’re making things every day in the Idea Zone at MOSI, and in our Spring Break and Summer Science Camps.

For more information on summer camps and more parenting tips, visit TBParenting.com/summercamps.