The ever present cornflakes box from our kitchen shelf is put
to a practical recycled use for our Purim mishloach
manos baskets. We can make one or two baskets from each
box, depending on the size of the basket we want. Save up a
few of your empty ones or scout the neighborhood for extras.
Invite a group of mothers or children to your home for a pre-
Purim craft hour and relaxing time together. A homemade
basket makes the mitzvah very personal and evokes
appreciation from the receiver because it is handmade. The
handmade touch cannot be compared to even the fanciest of
store-bought delicacies, especially when given to a
grandparent. The cereal box is a carefully designed container
made to hold a certain weight and light food and to catch the
eye. It is designed to be sturdy enough to keep the contents
from being crushed and be presentable.
Transforming a box into a basket offers us many opportunities
to use our sense of design to make the box into the type
basket we want. The design I came up with is a basic
container with a handle but with a flourish. The box is not
cut straight in half to form a basket. One side is taller
than the other and comes down in a sweeping curve reminiscent
of a wine bottle holder. The strength of the box is
reinforced with paper and white plastic glue and a coat of
acrylic plastic base paint. The handle is decorative. (The
basket will still be on the delicate side and should be held
from underneath if the contents are heavy.)
Deciding on the shape of the basket and how to cut it out
from the box require planning and visualization of the
desired form. If the outcome is close to the image in mind,
the child will gain a sense of self achievement. If the
result is not what the child had in mind, give him\her a
second box and let him try again until the results are
acceptable. You needn't be too particular about perfection,
as long as it comes close to the preconceived idea. Be sure
to look for the interesting, unusual or successful aspects of
the design and praise the child for this. Three exciting
learning concepts provided in this project are: 1. Painting
on a three dimensional object. The tactile sensations and the
dimensionality of working with color and the fluid pull of
the paint and its color vibrations affect some children in a
most pleasurable and satisfying way. 2. Tracing a pattern and
fitting the pieces together. We trace around each side the
box-basket and cut out the pieces which will then be glued
over each corresponding side of the box-basket. This is
similar to tracing your child's silhouette on a large sheet
of white paper and having him cut it out. The greatness of
size and the maneuvering of the marker and the scissors take
effort and therefore give a sense of accomplishment with the
end product. The quiet felt in the room while the children
traced around the sides of the cut up cornflake box was
testimony to their concerted concentration. Gluing the paper
pieces into place on the sides of the box brought a further
wave of concentration and gentle challenge for the children.
3. Cutting out the felt pieces into simple geometric shapes
and then putting the puzzle-like pieces together to form
clowns, fish etc. teaches order and thinking skills. 4.
Finally, filling the basket with food or drink to give to
another completes the process of building and sharing by
fulfilling a mitzvah. You will need:
*One or more cereal boxes of 280 to 500 gr. size each
*Wide cellophane tape
*Craft knife (Japanese Knife) and a good pair of scissors
*A4 or A3 paper or other white paper
*A permanent marker
*White plastic glue poured into a disposable plate and the
stiff piece of cardboard to apply it with in the squeegee
fashion.
*Acrylic paint, color of your choice, brush and tin can of
water
*Colored pieces of felt
*Hot glue gun
If you are lacking in any of the above materials, don't be
afraid to improvise and use optional ideas. Use cloth scraps
in place of felt or even hand-drawn pictures on paper and so
on.
PROCEDURE
1. Close box. With one length of tape; tape around on all
four sides of box.
2. Decide if you want one or two baskets and plan how much
space you need for each.
3. Mark shape to be cut on all four sides. Make sure the line
is continuous and matches up on each side regardless of the
height. The basket should be in a high sloping design, higher
at one side than the other. The cut will be in a curve rather
than straight across.
4. Place box on a safe cutting surface. Carefully using a
craft knife, poke a hole in the highest point to get started
and cut in a downward curving motion on the front of the box.
Continue on each side. If you cut out one basket use the
remainder of box to make a long handle.
If you cut out two baskets, trim away excess cardboard from
the larger of the two to make two handles. If you are short
on cardboard for the second handle take from another
discarded box.
5. Trace all four sides and handle on two to four pieces of
white paper.
6. Cut out.
7. Apply glue with a cardboard squeegee. Glue paper patterns
in place.
8. Paint while glue is still wet if you like with acrylic
paint. Don't forget to paint the handle. Let dry.
9. Draw a clown, fish, and other Purim symbols from geometric
shapes on a paper. A clown is a triangle, a circle, a square,
four rectangles and several ball shapes. A Hamantash is a
triangle. A fish is an ellipse and a triangle. Identify each
shape and draw again onto precut squares of felt.
10. Cut out shapes.
11. Assemble and glue in place on front and sides of box.
12. Hot glue the handle securely into place.
13. Spread open a napkin inside and fill with your delicious
Purim treats.
Devora Piha is available for all kinds of classes in arts and
crafts. Call 02-9920501.
