Strips of paper in any color can represent the siding found on many houses.
The history of replica houses stretches back centuries. Some replica houses, like dollhouses, are set up by hobbyists to depict the domestic comfort of a home. Other model homes focus on a house's exterior aspects. Architectural models often highlight a home's design elements and artistic flourishes, with an emphasis on accuracy. Whatever your intention when constructing a miniature house, the flexibility of working with a cereal box gives you or your child the ability to explore the history, art, architecture and craft of representing houses.
Instructions
Exterior Walls
1. Cut the top flaps off of the cereal box, using your scissors. Turn the box over, so that the opening at the top of the box becomes the house's bottom. Save the flaps for later use.
2. Draw the shape of your windows and door on the cereal box, with a pencil. Using a utility knife, cut out the windows, and all but one vertical edge of the door. The fourth, uncut side of the door will act as a hinge.
3. Cut your white construction paper into strips at least 10 inches long and anywhere between 1 and 4 inches thick.
4. Curl each sheet of paper lightly around a pencil, so that it curls slightly when released.
5. Run the glue stick horizontally along the top half of one paper strip.
6. Attach the paper strip, by its glued top half, to the top of the box, where the roof and the wall meet.
7. Run the glue stick horizontally along another paper. Slide the paper under the top strip, with the glue facing the box. Continue gluing the top half of your strips of paper and attaching them under the last strip of paper attached until you cover the entire front of the house. The paper strips will mimic the look of siding found on a real house. The paper strips may extend past the edges of the box. They will be removed later, but make sure to not cover the windows and door --- trim down any strips that will block the window or door cut-outs.
8. Cut the edges of your paper strips at the sides of the box, so that the paper covers only one wall.
9. Paper the house's side and back in the same manner as the front, cutting any overhanging paper ends after you cover a wall.
Windows and Door
10. Use thin strips of red construction paper to recreate the look of this window.
Cut two ½-inch strips of red paper, at least 1 inch longer than the width and length of your windows.
11. Hold the glue stick and insert your hand in through the bottom of the house; run your glue stick around the interior wall of the box around the window openings.
12. Attach your red strips to the glue around the windows from the inside of the box, positioning the paper horizontally and vertically in the windows.
13. Cut a piece of black paper to the exact measurement of your door. Glue the paper to the door.
Finishing
14. Gently pull apart the flaps from the top of the box and tape the edges of the flaps together to create a pitched roof.
15. Cover the roof with black paper, trimming away any excess paper where the roof meets the house's exterior walls.
16. Decorate the house with any desired additional features.
Tags: glue stick, paper strips, black paper, construction paper, glue stick horizontally