A cardboard box, gussied up as a play sink and stove, will send your toddler into pretend rapture--for real. In fact, the hours of play she'll get out of this sweet kitchen make it well worth an evening of cutting and painting. (For a simpler version, just tape the box closed, cut a hole for the bowl, and call it a sink. She'll still adore it.) Offer plain old rolled oats (which are safe to eat) and pint-size cookware for even more fun.

Materials

• Large cardboard box (ours measures 14 by 18 by 26 inches)
• Tacky glue
• Additional flat cardboard (cut from a box is fine)
• Scissors, craft knife, and pencil

• Metal bowl with 1/2-inch lip
• White paint, colored craft paint, and brushes (optional)
• Cord or kitchen twine

Instructions

1. Seal the flaps of the box closed with glue.

2. Cut cabinet and oven doors, burners, and a faucet from the flat cardboard.

3. Turn the box on its side so you can lay the cabinet and oven doors on the front of the kitchen. Trace around them, then cut out 3 sides of each rectangle; leave the fourth side uncut to act as a hinge. Glue the freestanding doors on top of the hinged ones for durability.
   

4. Flip the box over and, on the top side of
   the kitchen, trace around the bowl's rim. Cut a hole 1 inch smaller than the diameter of
   that circle.
   

5. Cut a slot for the faucet. Use a sharp pencil or the craft knife to punch holes for the towel rack and door handles (you may need to work from both sides).

6. Paint the box white, if you like

7. Add the final touches: glue on the burners and faucet; paint on details such as stove knobs, hinges, and hot and cold water handles; lace cord through the holes, then knot it on the ends to make door handles and a towel rack. Finally, position the bowl in the sink hole and hang a dish towel from the rack.

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