BOX TOWER - DINOSAUR MOUNTAIN

Last October I wrote about BOX TOWERS here, here, and here.  I finally got around to making my yearly BOX TOWER a few weeks ago.  I have tried to do a better job of documenting how I built it.  For this tower, I used three different size boxes that I could stack on top of each other.

I first cut a hole in the top of the largest box.

I duct taped the flaps.

I took the second box and made marks for the length of the hole on the bottom of the second box to match the length of the hole on the top of the bottom box.

I took a piece of cardboard to match the width of the hole on the bottom box and made a mark on the two ends of the cardboard piece.  That process gave me marks for the height and the width of the hole from the bottom box on the second box.

From the marks, I filled in lines to make the rectangle I would cut out for the bottom of the second box.  I roughly centered it and then cut out the rectangle.

I then matched the two holes for taping.

I taped the boxes together.  Notice that I kept the flaps open on the second box.  That made it much easier for me to reach inside to tape the holes together for a strong bond between the boxes.

I repeated the same process to attach the top box to the second box.

Once the holes are taped on the inside the boxes with the duct tape, I taped the flaps shut and I cut holes in the sides of the towers on the different levels.  As I cut the holes, I pulled the flaps out.

I trimmed the flaps with a box cutter.

I taped the flap I trimmed to the adjoining box.  This, too, contributed to a secure bond.

I also taped all the joints were the boxes meet to make an even more secure bond. My experience tells me the children will test the strength of any given apparatus.

This year's installment of the BOX TOWER was called DINOSAUR MOUNTAIN.

I used animal bedding with this activity.  The dinosaurs are animals, after all.

I also built a bridge with a wooden tray.

The bridge connected the sensory table with a smaller table that holds many of the utensils we use in the sensory table.  It also extended the sensory table and provided an additional dimension for play and an interesting area for transporting to and from.

Just a quick note: animal bedding gets all over the room because it is light and sticks to clothes.  Just ask Addie.