As parents, we're always trying to come up with fun and exciting activities to do with the kids. With winter on the way, finding plenty of fun indoor activities to do is important. Building a dollhouse is one such activity that can be both educational and fun at the same time! Win win! Make it even more educational by building an eco-friendly dollhouse. Here are some great tips on building a "green" dollhouse with your kids! Important Note: Make sure that the parents do all the cutting with scissors, knives and box cutters, as not to harm the kids
1.) Little Boxes: As is customary when building all homes, you need a frame. For your eco-friendly dollhouse, finding your frame is as easy as finding a spare shoe box! While you may choose to go more elaborate with a bigger cardboard box, all you really need is a shoe box! Stack your shoe boxes, one on top of the other and create separate floors, separate rooms or even separate dollhouses! By the time you are done building, you might have a whole neighborhood! It's best to decorate each room first before attaching them all together. My recommendation is to have at least 4 shoeboxes of about the same size grouped side by side (2 and 2). You might even want to stack these inside a larger cardboard box to give the house a sturdier frame. By reusing old shoeboxes, you are also helping the environment by not throwing away cardboard. Add to that, many shoe manufacturers today make their shoeboxes out of recycled materials. Once you have a basic frame, start cut out a front door, windows, and indoor entryways.
2.) Floor Decor: When decorating the floors on your eco-friendly dollhouse, think about recycling old pieces of fabric, carpet squares, old washcloths and even wrapping paper. If you want to create the look of hardwood floors, glue together some popsicle sticks using an eco-friendly glue or paste. Use additional scraps of fabric or carpeting to make area rugs and runners. You can even use recycled construction paper and create more elaborately designed rugs. Of course, markers work well too for your floor decor.
3.) Wall Decor: This is the perfect way to use up that old wallpaper that you've been hanging on to forever! Decorating the walls of your dollhouse in old wrapping paper is also a great idea. If you have any spare bits of cork board lying around from an old bulletin board, this would also make a suitable wall covering. Non-toxic paints also work, though make sure you supervise the painting process to minimize the mess. As for wall art, look through your children's magazines and old books for ideas. Cut out little photos and pictures, making frames out of toothpicks or pipe cleaners. Un-cancelled stamps on old letters also make great wall art! Decorating the floors and walls of your dollhouse is the perfect chance to let your child's creativity shine through.
4.) Furniture Makes The Home: While this might not be true in a real home, when it comes to a dollhouse, it's all about the doll furniture. When thinking about your dollhouse furnishings, it's important to be as resourceful as you can. Make a bed frame out of an empty JELLO box. Dress the bed in old fabric, tissues, and cotton balls for pillows. Use an upside down thimble as a wastebasket, a plastic bottle cap or checkers dishware, and toilet paper rolls as the pipes on an old stove. Make a miniature bathtub out of a small baking tin or a dresser by gluing together a few matchbooks. You can use small beads for the drawer knobs! You can also make your own furniture out of non-toxic clay and cardboard. Also, fill in the holes by borrowing doll house furniture from some of your other dollhouses.
Reuse and recycle - two of the most important things to keep in mind when creating your eco friendly dollhouse. Being resourceful is the key. Use what materials you have lying around the house (as long as they are safe). When it comes to other materials like paints, clays and markers - make sure you opt for the non-toxic variety. Also, as stated earlier, make sure that the parents do all of the necessary cutting. Building a dollhouse is a great indoor activity that will provide hours of entertainment, both during the process and after!
