SHOEBOX STORIES!

Making the three bears shoebox house.
Here are the three bears and Goldilocks.
Once upon a time there were three bears........

Goldilocks and the three bears shoebox stories!

Have you ever thought of crafting your own favourite nursery story, with a shoe box and some cardboard inner tubes?

Such a great project to do with your kids over the long holidays!

In this post I shall show you how to craft Goldilocks and the Three Bears as one of many shoebox stories, so read on!

Techno-gadgets!

With all these kids’ tech gadgets, singing, and light-bursting toys that are currently around for kids, have you ever asked yourself whatever happened to our ordinary down-to-earth reading books?

HELP KIDS AND HOLIDAYS!

The question is “What do you do with your kids over the school holidays?”

Picture from Pexels.com by Cottonbro studio.

OUTDOORS!

Making arrangements to go out to the local park, or an event within a park. Use the kid’s park activities, slides, swings roundabouts, and let them wear off some of that energy.

Picture from Pexels.com by Kampus production.

PICNIC TIME!

Choose and child-friendly park, and meet up with friends and their kids. Pack a fun picnic not too far from kids’ toilets and restaurants for top-up.

LESS SCREEN TIME!

Well, there’s watching the TV, and we know too much of this can’t really be good for their eyes!

DIFFERENT SCENE!

Getting plenty of fresh air and experiencing the outside a bit more, is fundamental for your kids’ development and social interaction.

Picture from Pexels.com by Allan Mas.

HAVE ADVENTURES!

Allow your children to run around and make discoveries. Use touch, and experience the beautiful colours that nature has to offer.

A NICE ACTIVITY TO DO!

When you are back a home and stuck for something to do with your kids, how about checking your recycling and having a go at the activity coming up next?

CRAFT A FAMILIAR STORY!

In this post, I will be recreating a kid’s familiar story known as Goldilocks and the Three Bears using a shoebox and some cardboard inner tubes.

We will be crafting shoebox stories in a fun animated way.

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM?

All stories and ideas begin somewhere, often in a book. From there, they shape our world and influence what resources we have available for our children.

Picture from Pexels.com by Dominka Roseclay.

This means that cool robot toys that talk and light up with nursery rhymes, fairy tales, songs, and numbers all started as ideas on paper.

WHAT ABOUT BOOKS?

Isn’t it great when a kid picks out a book they want? It could be about anything they’re interested in, like animals, heroes, police, firefighters, or dinosaurs.

Picture from Pexels.com by Amina Filkins.

“They would then act out and interact with each other. Even if they are not yet at the right level of reading, the pictures alone tell a story and inspire them to create their own characters!”

WHAT WE NEED TO DO!

Reading to your kids has many benefits. It’s not just about a storybook, but time together to talk and share ideas while you turn the pages. Holding a book is also different and lets you escape into the story. Childmind.org has research on why reading is important.

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BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS!

This brings me back to parents and carers to become more proactive and simply do a lot more reading with their kids.

WHAT ABOUT TABLETS?

Picture from Pexels.com by George Pak.

KIDS TABLETS AND PHONES!

Studies suggest that preschool children who are exposed to tablets or mobile phones are at a higher risk of poor concentration, hyperactivity, and friendship issues.

I understand that some people might think that tablets are better for entertaining their kids while they do their chores. However, we must consider what is essential for preschool children’s education. They start with books and build their knowledge from there.

Picture from Pexels.com by Ksenia Chernaya.

TOO MUCH TV AND ITS RISKS!

Exposure to screens for prolonged periods of time is not only detrimental to one’s vision but also causes them to lose touch with reality. To regulate your child’s screen time and avoid potential damage to their vision and development, I recommend using the helpful information from “All About Vision” provided in this link.

HOW TO READ?

So you start to read to your kid. They may not be interested at first, but as you read they become curious and want to see what’s in the book.

PLAY-ROLE.

You continue with the story reading with characteristic voices becoming the subject in the story, although, after a while, they loose concentration and wander off.

DON’T GIVE UP.

You simply follow through, and continue with your reading where they settle until you capture their concentration again. 

Picture from Pexels.com by Andy Kuzma.

SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES.

Ultimately they will be picking up something, and it will build on their vocabulary, sentence building, and expression and become more empathetic to the outcome of the story, which they carry with them and build on their feelings.

MY INTENTION!

I want to take a familiar children’s story and bring it to life!

You will need to gather some cardboard inner tubes and a shoe-box as mentioned earlier and some brown packaging cards, and put them aside.

These will be the main resources that you will need to make your characters and their home, as well as some other resources shown below in what you need.

WHAT STORIES?

Fairy tales are the familiar type of books that you would find in Nursery classes or have become classic tales that little ones start off with.

Do you remember stories like:-

  • Snow White and the seven dwarfs.

  • Cinderella.

  • Red Riding Hood.

  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

  • Rapunzel.

  • The Three Little Pigs.

  • Jack and the Beanstalk

WHICH STORY?

As mentioned earlier, the story I will show you how to craft in this activity is…  Goldilocks and the Three Bears, one of the Shoebox Stories.

But first let’s imagine we are reading the book Goldilocks and the Three bears, so let’s take a look!

Oh dear, do you think Goldilocks learned a lesson in this story? The moral behind the story is, that one should never enter someone else’s home without their permission! We know that would be trespassing or breaking and entering!

ARE YOU READY?

    Resources.

  • 1 Shoebox/packaging card.
  • 12 Cardboard inner tubes.
  • 3 smaller boxes (going down in size)
  • Acrylic paints/brushes.
  • Coloured felt-tip pens.
  • Scissors, large/small.
  • Coloured papers.
  • Glue stick/double-sided tape/masking tape.
  • Felt fabric/cotton wool balls.

LET’S GET GOING!

   SOME TIPS!

  • Keep hold of any shoe box this will come in handy.
  • Look for any saved pattern papers or use any wrapping-up paper.
  • Failing this, you can have fewer or more designs on the outside of your box.
  • Inside of the box, you are creating a standard room, that is used to play out the porridge eating, then set up for the chair trying, and finally the bed scene.

    TUBES.

  • Find cardboard inner tubes that you can slide another thinner tube inside it.
  • The inside tube will represent the mouth, so when extended and pushed back up again, this motion will be when the bear is talking.

    HOW TO DRAW FACE.

  • Draw an elaborate sketch of a bear’s face. I started with the nose and drew around it, the white part of its face, then drew the eyes set on top of the outline of the white-shaped section.
  • Once you have drawn the face, cut a section under it, this will show the pink part that represents the mouth.

    HOW TO COLOUR.

  • When colouring the bear use different colours to give the rough texture of the fur.
  • Paint the white bits first, like the eyes, then around the nose.

    CLOSE-UP OF FACE.

  • Click on any image this will enlarge it, then you can see a close-up of the bear’s faces to see how you can replicate this on your tube.
  • Finally, I will make a short video demonstrating the tubes in action.

ATTENTION ATTENTION!

I do feel passionate about kids handling books and likewise, as a  learning tool from the start, but there are other types of reading material to entice your child even though it might be gimmicky, but fun too.

In order to get our kid’s attention, I guess we would resort to anything fun and eye-catching so take a look at these options!

BOOKS ARE CATCHING UP!

We all know books have been around, for a long time and still hold their place, and there is also a lot of competition out there, but take notebooks are catching up in a different way.

Why not have a mix of the real deal and throw in some spicy interactive elements?

Tune this technology into your mobile, laptop, or computer and zap into a 3D world of storytelling in a great new way!

HEARD OF AUGMENTED BOOKS?

This is an interactive book, that comes alive telling a traditional story in a 3D format!

Hey there, when you click on links in this post and you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission that l can use towards resources (other than throw-outs) for project making within my website😀

(affliate disclosure)

HOW DO AUGMENTED BOOKS WORK?

It’s a combination of a physical book and computer-generated visual and auditory media.

This creates an interactive experience that enhances the real world.

This visualizes different concepts adding game-playing elements to text, making it a truly amazing experience.

Goldilocks would be one of many AR books, so do jump in and check out what’s on offer!                

Books and Pieces is a super online children’s bookshop that caters for kids from 0-6 years old.

CUDDLY SOFT TOYS!

How cute are these soft toys made just like the characters in your lovable storybooks?
These toys make great companions for storytelling!

THOUGHT OF A SUBSCRIPTION?

This would be a perfect way to stay in touch with your kid’s favourite books as well as keep you in the loop with the latest books that are available.
  • All the hard work is done for you.

  • Sign up for any one of the four packages, on offer.

  • Catering for your child’s age.

  • Great savings on books.

  • Option of flexible monthly payments or pay up front and get great savings. 

  • Your child will get three hand-picked books monthly!

  • Free p&p on subscription books!

TO CONCLUDE!

USE RECYCLING!

In this post, I show you how to use a shoebox, some cardboard inner tubes, and some cardboard to whip yourself up and shoebox story!

WHAT STORY?

Take a favourite children’s story Goldilocks and the Three Bears and transform your recycling materials into a fun kids’ project.

MOVING PARTS!

Interactive play, by moving their mouths and speaking on their behalf!

KEEP YOUR KIDS BUSY!

So what are you waiting for, this is an extensive project. Spread it out as there are many parts to it, but well worth it in the end!

TAKE YOUR TIME!

No rush you and your kids can enjoy making the elements and joining them up to complete a wonderful interactive kids story!

Happy holiday crafting!

Oh, as promised I managed to video Goldilocks, and the Three Bears, with some help and we did have a laugh filming it haha!

Looking for another Shoe-box activity you can do with your kids?

How about an interactive laptop, does that appeal to you?

Check it out here. ⇓

6 thoughts on “SHOEBOX STORIES!”

  1. Hello Julia

    Thank you for this great article. I don’t have kids but it was interesting to read and It will come in useful for anyone who does have kids. I like all the ideas you discussed especially the shoebox stories. It’s a cool idea and I might even try it myself one day. Thank you again for this great article.

    Regards

    Timothy

    1. Thanks for your comment Timothy, I am glad you got alot out of my post, and if anything you could
      pass on any information to someone who does have kids and who could benefit from some of the research!
      and whose kids would enjoy doing the shoebox stories project too! and if you do jump into crafting
      I can tell you now, that its quite relaxing and very rewarding to see your accomplishments, especially
      when you have made something out of junk!
      Happy Crafting Timothy!
      Julia?

  2. Hi Julia,
    I had to drop by and see what new project you had in store for my grandkids! Low and behold I wasn’t disappointed. This is a fine project for those rainy days when everybody is bored. Of course, sometime we have to drag them away from the video games! Once they get started, they enjoy doing it. Some of the things they create are hilarious and adorable at the same time.
    Then I get to read them a story! I enjoy reading to them every chance I get anyway! Thank you for creating another fun filled day together with my grandkids.

    1. Hi Chas, glad this project appealed to you! I do try not to disappoint, and also happy to hear that you can introduce to your grandkids, something creative to do!
      I always like to craft something thats probably a bit more challenging and fun to make with your recycling, and a project that kids can do in stages, keeping them busy, other than watching the box all day lol.
      You sound like a really cool granddad, keeping on top of things and just like us try to entertain our grandkids one way or another, and ultimately calming them down, after a few rounds of energetic play, by reading them a book or two, I find always does the trick!
      Thank you for your super comment and happy you are finding activities for your grandkids to do!
      Happy crafting.
      Julia?

  3. Crafting shoebox stories seems like fantastic way to encourage imagination and hands-on learning during the holidays. Any specific tips for parents who want to try this activity with their kids?

    1. I am glad you liked this activity, as parents and depending on your childs age, simply gather all resources, lay them out to make it easy for them to determine whats what, and you can start them off by modelling the first part,then they can take over.
      If the making of the shoebox is a little complicated, then just do the Three bears and Goldilocks with the inner tubes that alone is quite fun to make, and they can have a laugh acting out the scenes with their little characters!
      Thanks for your comment, and happy crafting?

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