Milk Carton Cabin Craft

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

Help your kids build a log cabin village without lifting an ax.

A heavy cream carton:
The short stocky kind.
Sandpaper:
Light-colored fine grade and darker rough paper.
Dark brown construction paper:
For doors and windows.
Moss:
Find it at your local high-end florist.
Small stones:
As in rocks from the garden, not "precious" stones, unfortunately.
Brown acrylic paint and paintbrush
Double-stick tape
Scissors
White glue

Before your kid gets down to business, open up the heavy cream carton and make a batch of homemade whipped cream. (It would be a sin to throw it out, now wouldn't it?)
After your kid has licked whipped cream off of his fingers, have him wash the out carton and glue it shut.
Have him paint inside the folds of the spout with the brown paint.
Then, help cut the light, fine-grade sandpaper into 1-inch strips.
Have your kid glue the strips around the carton so they look like wooden planks or log siding.
Have him glue two sheets of the rough sandpaper onto the top of the carton to create a roof.
He can add a chimney by rolling up a piece of sandpaper, taping or gluing it shut, and then taping it to the roof.
Next, help him cut out a front door and a few windows out of the brown construction paper.
Glue them on to the front and side of the cabin.
If he's up for it, have him make a few cabins to create a little micro-village.
When the houses are finished, place them in the center of your holiday table. Add moss for shrubbery and a have your kid make a path out of stones. You can even pick up a few tiny faux pine trees at your local craft store to polish off the tiny town. (If only home improvements and major landscaping projects were this easy and affordable in real life!)