Box Castle

This came together over the course of a week.  I needed to buy a slow cooker and so I had this medium sized box sitting in the corner. Over the week, I added boxes to make a castle shape. It’s really as simple as one larger box, one medium box and some thin boxes (or cardboard rolls) for the towers. My son and I painted it and Dad did the drawbridge. 

Materials used

Boxes – variety of sizes

Paper

Toilet rolls

Hot glue gun & Scissors (you can use craft glue but I find hot glue works best for durability)

Grey & Black Acrylic Paint

Note: For a castle this size, you will need about 100ml of grey paint. Remove a small amount of the grey paint and add a little black to make a darker grey for the highlights (bricks/bars).

Paddle Pop Sticks (for the window bars)

Paint sponge (or brushes)

Note: There is quite a bit of area to cover so it’s easier to paint with larger brushes/sponge.

Tape

How to Make a Box Castle

Instructions

1. Arrange your boxes into a castle shape. It’s a fun idea to search for some real life castle on Google for inspiration.

2. For the corner towers, I made 4 using toilet rolls joined together with tape, and paper shaped into a funnel shape (trimmed). I glued the paper tops to the rolls.  

3. For the middle tower, I trimmed the top with scissors to give it that brick railing look.  I also inserted a piece of cardboard into the top section with glue so toys could stand up the top.

Note: I gave cute Frozen figurines to the kids in a fun jar at Easter time and they love them.

4. The 2 balconies are made form the end sections of biscuit boxes.

5. Next step is to cut windows and doors. Circular doorways and a drawbridge look good.

6. Once you have all the components ready, it’s a simple matter of glueing everything down. I also added paddle pop sticks to the bottom level windows to act as bars.

7. Once the glue is dry, it’s time for paining! It’s amazing how the boxes transform into a castle as you paint!  Depending on the type of boxes you use (if they have dark heavy writing) you may need to do 2 coats of paint.  Once my son tired of this activity, I took over and finished it.

8. Once the paint is touch dry, add the darker details. We painted the bars and added brick detail to the towers, doors and windows.  The easiest and quickest way to make bricks is to use a small section of sponge, dip into the paint and press. Try a few on a piece of paper first. 

9. Paint lines for the drawbridge and add string. My husband made the string and he explains how he did this in the video below. Essentially, he ran the string through small pipe (he had in the garage) glued into a few holes punched into the box — or you could use a small section of straw instead of pipe. The string goes along the inside ceiling of the box and then out the back so it easily pulls open (demonstrated in the video).

That’s it! It’s not a quick craft but it’s easy and the finished product is awesome! The kids sometimes take it outside to play on the grass, and in their room.