End of the Year Box Monsters!

Tomorrow is our last student day. Then the teachers get what I'm referring to as a 'quiet day' to pack up the classroom. Its chaotic, but we are having so much fun.
I did get around to creating box monsters with my fifth graders and it was definitely an experience. I want to do this again next year.

I set up each table with the following: one kleenex box per student, scissors, glue-all, markers in varying colors, plastic cups and lids, tagboard (we use tv dinner box cardboard), and foam shapes.

I start off by explaining that the opening of the box will be the mouth and we will be adding eyes, teeth, and details with other materials. We began by tracing or drawing circular eyes on the tagboard. They can make as many eyes as they chose to. Then color with markers to create pupils. Cut out and glue above the opening of the box.

Then we take a second piece of tagboard and cut it into a long slender rectangle. Cut down the middle of the rectangle with a zig zag line to create the teeth. Teeth are glued to the top and bottom of the box opening from the inside. Use glue-all... holds so much better and more permanently than school glue.

Then I tell students they may use the foam shapes to create noses, eye lashes, warts, etc for their monster. Oh they had the best time!

Some students even used scrap tagboard to create arms or legs hanging off the edges of the box. Hilarious!

A pointer for this project: Start collecting early. I recommend the beginning of the school year. I wouldn't have stressed near as much the last couple of months if I hadn't waited until December to start asking.