Shoe Box Animal Magazine Holder for Kids
Use a shoe box to make these unique animals that hold magazines and more.
Just bought the kids some new shoes? Grab the empty shoe box and help kids create a fun magazine holder for their rooms! They'll absolutely love making lions, tigers, pandas and more especially since they know each unique shoe box animal can help them organize their rooms with a flair. The cute boxes don't necessarily have to be for kids, though. Even adults can use the organizers as a whimsical touch to a desk, the bathroom or other areas of the home.
Although any size shoe box will work fine the smaller boxes are perfect for a child's room. Use shelf liner, decorative paper or even felt to cover the bottom and the inside of the box. Start by cutting a rectangle to glue to the bottom. Now cut one long rectangle that will wrap all the way around the inside of the box. Glue it in place as you go along. Regular glue works well; use clothes pins, if necessary, to hold the paper or felt in place as it dries.
Fake fur is ideal for covering the box but you can also use animal print cloth or plain felt. The fur is great because it's very forgiving and makes the shoe box animal more genuine. Purchase the fur at any store that sells cloth. Whether you're using cloth or fur glue one long piece all the way around the outside of the box.
Create a face for the animal by using a paper plate. Create a lion's face, a teddy bear, a panda or even a pig. Use wiggly eyes, small beads or black pom-poms for eyes. Noses can be made from pieces of felt or markers. Snouts can be made by cutting a section from a bathroom tissue roll. Mouths can be made with markers, yarn, or felt. Make tails for the animal by using rolled fur, felt, a large pom-pom or even a fluffy hair tie.
There are so many different animals you can create by using a box and a paper plate. You have many options for purchasing supplies or using things you have around the house. If you don't have fake fur or animal print fabric just use construction paper to cover the box - inside and out. Or, just spray paint the box then make the paper plate face. Ears can be cut from felt or paper and attached directly onto the paper plate face. Whiskers can be created from stiff thread, small wire pieces or can be just drawn onto the face.
The boxes can be placed in children's rooms to hold magazines and more. The cute animals can sit on desks and hold everything from paper work to manila envelopes. You can even make the shoe box animals for bathrooms. They're cute when they're holding extra towels, wash cloths or decorative soaps.
Create something similar that will help young children learn to tell time. Decorate the box any way you want then use the paper plate to create a clock face. Cut hands from construction paper. Use a brad to hold the hands to the paper plate. Use stickers or marker to make the numbers on the clock. Attach the hands by pushing the brad through both hands then through the clock. Open the brad, on the back, to hold the arms in place. Glue a ring around the brad. This will allow the brad to be away from the box enough so that the hands can easily be turned. The ring can be a small craft ring or even a wooden circle.
Glue the ring area to one end of the box to display the clock. Make a clock for one end or both ends. Kids can play with the clock morning, noon and night. In the mornings they can set the clock to display the time they'll return from school. Or, when they come home they can set the hands to represent the time that supper will be ready. They'll have hours of fun with the clock.
Make a box for Mom to hold her recipes. Make a box for Dad to hold supplies on his desk. Even Grandma would love one of the cute animal boxes to hold cards she's accumulated over the years. There are many different uses for the boxes and anyone, of any age, will appreciate their usefulness.