My son has been really into Daniel Tiger lately and we recently watched an episode where they send a letter in the mail, then go the post office and learn about how mail is processed and the like.
Since we made personal mailboxes last month I thought it would be fun to make a big mailbox this month. Now my son can pretend to be a mail carrier and writing letters to each other has gotten to be even more fun.
Supplies Needed:
- A big, thick, rectangular cardboard box. I chose one that was about two and a half feet tall.
- 2 smaller thick cardboard boxes
- A thin cardboard box (like a cereal box)
- A hot glue gun
- Paint
- Foam paint brush
- Exacto Knife
- Ruler
- Scissors
- 2 toilet paper rolls
Steps to Create A Large Cardboard Mailbox
- I started by creating the feet of my mailbox. I took a small thick cardboard box and measured out a square in each corner of the box. Then I made a slight inward triangle on the side perpendicular to the square I just measured making sure that the triangle line didn’t quite reach the corner. Make four of these and cut them out.
- Next take a long piece of thick cardboard, at least as wide as the wide side of your main rectangular box, and run it along the edge of a counter or table to break apart the ridging of the cardboard so that it will bend to form an arch. Once it’s flexible enough to bend in a semi arch (it doesn’t need to be perfect at this point, you’ll fix it later) glue the arch to the top of your main box.
- Now lay the arch part of your box down on a piece of thin cardboard (like a cereal box). Use your hands to push the cardboard arch around until it forms the curve you want for your mailbox then trace the curve on your cereal box. (Make sure the printed side of the cereal box is facing your mailbox.)
- Remove your mailbox and make another arch about an inch above the arch you just traced. Cut out your traced arch leaving a thick tab at the bottom so you have something to glue to your mailbox.
- Now cut small lines in your cereal box from the outer arch to the inner arch. Space each cut out about an inch.
- Bend each of these cuts inward so they form a curve.
- Glue the bottom tab of your traced arch to your main rectangular box and bend all your folded pieced into the boxes main arch. This should force the main arch of your mailbox into the shape your formed. When you have it in place run a line of hot glue along all your tabs and push them into your mailbox securing the side.
- Repeat this process for the other side.
- Draw a small rectangle on the front of your box where you want the letter shoot to be. Use your Exacto knife to cut out the top three sides of it and press your ruler along the bottom of it when you pull it open so your box will crease in the proper place.
- Turn your box over and cut another rectangle in the back with the same process so letters can be retrieved.
- Trace a small plate on a piece of thin cardboard and cut it out, then cut strait through the middle of it. Glue these two pieces to the sides of the open slot at the top of your mailbox to form the shoot.
- Take a toilet paper roll and smash is flat, then bend it in a “C’ shape. Glue one edge of it to the top mail slot to form a handle.
- Repeat that process with a second toilet paper roll to create a handle on the bottom mail slot.
- Glue the four “feet” of your mailbox to the bottom of your rectangle.
- Finish by painting it and you’re ready to go.
Thanks for reading!
Have you tried to make a cardboard mailbox? I would love to see the mailboxes you’ve created or hear about any of your experiences or thoughts to make it better in the comments section.