Mystery Box Game

For a fun rainy day activity turn a cardboard box into a mystery box.

Choose random small objects from around the house and put them inside. Have your kid reach inside and feel what’s in there, then guess what it is.

It’s simple, but my kiddos loved it. We played with this as part of our “My Body and My Senses” theme that we just finished up last week. (I know, I know, for those of you who follow Handmade Life, the idea of being largely Waldorf and Unschool inspired makes the presence of a theme confusing…I’ll discuss this in an upcoming post).

To make your mystery box you’ll need:

1.       Cardboard box

2.       Black paper

3.       Cardstock or craft foam

·         I used cardstock in the one pictured here, but if I did it again I would use craft foam since it would hold up to more reaching in and out. The cardstock did do ok and it’s easier to source as a recycled material.

4.       Glue stick

5.       Colorful paper to decorate with

6.       Scissors

7.       Craft knife

8.       Wide mouth mason jar ring or other circle template

To put it together…

1.       Trace the inside of the circle on one end of the cardboard box and cut it out.

2.       Trace the outside of the circle onto your cardstock or your foam.

3.       Draw dividing lines across your circle and cut across them. Leave the outer edge of the circle uncut. 

Cut a square around the circle leaving enough border to glue securely onto the inside of the box.

4.       Glue to the inside of the box.

5.       Wrap the box in the black paper, cutting a hole in the appropriate place to match the reaching hole in the box. I placed the paper on the box first, then rubbed my fingers along the edges of the hole to create an impression of the hole in the right size and position on the paper.

 As I wrapped the box with whole sheets of construction paper, I cut slits going up to the corners of the box to allow the paper to be folded flat against the box.

6.       Decorate with question marks.

Any small objects or toys will work for playing with inside the box. Here are some things we tried (and a few other ideas we'll probably try soon):

·         Plastic easter eggs

·         Cotton balls

·         An open tin of salve

·         A zipper sealed bag of water

·         Ice cubes

·         A play silk

·         A rag

·         Toy trains

·         Pattern blocks (have your child name each shape)

·         Plastic or felt letters (have your child name the letter)