Join the Global Cardboard Challenge! Using cardboard boxes of different sizes and shapes, construct a unique or new creation and then make up a narrative to go along with it. This challenge was launched in 2012 by the Imagination Foundation, which provides information, videos, and tips on the Cardboard Challenge website. To register your participation in the Global Cardboard Challenge, visit CardboardChallenge.com. For inspiration, watch the short films Caine’s Arcade and Caine’s Arcade 2, and look on the Internet for other inventions by searching #cardboardchallenge.

• Cardboard boxes of different sizes and shapes
• Scissors
• Masking tape or painter’s tape which can be removed easily
• Household recycling items (cardboard tubes, egg cartons, plastic containers, etc.)
• Craft supplies for decorating (markers, pipe cleaners, buttons, pom poms, glitter, bells, paper, aluminum foil, etc.)

1. Come up with a creation using cardboard boxes of different sizes and shapes that can be played with. To help spark ideas, consider these questions: What might the creation look like? What part of the creation do you want to start with?
2. Using household recycling items and crafts supplies decorate the cardboard creation.
3. Create a narrative to go along with the creation.
4. Share the creation with others—participate in a group challenge day, organize a showcase, or post images of the creation online.

Try these add-on activities:

• Put mystery items into a basket. Build a cardboard creation using only these items.
• Base the creation on a theme, such as electricity or something you find on the playground.