Box Barn Craft

You can make this cute barn using a cardboard box, scissors, and paint. The barn doors even open and close. If you want to put your toy animals in the barn afterwards, make sure you start out with a box that is the right size for your animals.

This is a really fun project that makes a great toy barn - you can even play with it afterwards. The painting part of the project is a bit messy, so wear old clothes and work on a lot of newspaper. This project requires adult help and supervision (adults should cut the cardboard and supervise the painting).


Supplies:
• A cardboard box (pick the size that will fit your plastic animals)
• A sheet of cardboard (for the roof)
• Pencil or marker
• Scissors or a craft knife (to cut the cardboard)
• Tempera or acrylic paint (red, white, and black)
• Scrap newspaper (to protect the table)


Mark the cardboard box so that it has the roof-line of a barn.

Cut the cardboard along your markings, making a barn shape.

Mark the barn doors (they should be shaped like a rectangle with a vertical line in the center, making a double door). Cut along the top, bottom and middle lines -- the outer vertical lines will be the hinges, creating double doors.

If you put barn doors on both sides of the barn, two children can later put animals in and out of the barn at the same time.


For the roof, cut a rectangle of cardboard that is about an inch or two longer than the barn and wider than the two triangular tops of the barn.
Mark where the fold line will be and then carefully fold the rectangle in half. Place the roof on the barn to make sure that it fits.


Mark where you will want windows on your barn.

Paint the barn red.

When the red paint dries, paint the inside of the windows black. When that paint has dried, paint white trim around the windows and doors. Also paint a large white "X" on the barn doors.

Paint the roof white or light gray.

Place the roof on the barn.

You now have a fantastic barn with a removable roof. You can put your play animals in and around the barn and create a make-believe farm.