Geeky Crafts for Kids in the Time of Coronavirus: Découpage Treasure Boxes
The novel coronavirus, Covid-19, swept into our lives like a noxious gas, and it seems like most of us weren’t totally prepared. America seems to have realized shit was real Wednesday night, and things have moved quickly. Social distancing is the name of the game. Mass gatherings are canceled; schools, libraries, and museums are closed; restaurants are going takeout/delivery only; and did I mention that schools are closed? Your single and childless friends are using this time at home to finally learn Elvish, and Rosanne Cash has reminded us that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during a plague quarantine. I would like to remind Ms. Cash that he abandoned his wife and children in Stratford before doing so. Our kids are at home for a minimum of two weeks, playdates are heavily discouraged, and our usual entertainment backstops—the dinosaur museum, the library, the McDonald’s play place—are closed or just seem wildly irresponsible. What is a geek parent to do?
GeekTyrant is here to help!
Every day for the next two weeks (please God, let it only be two weeks) we will have a fun, geeky activity for kids that can be done with simple supplies that I already have in my house. And while I do have a decent stock of craft and baking supplies, it’s not like I have an iron smelt in my backyard, so hopefully you can follow along without too much out of pocket. Also, I never wanted to be a mommy blogger, in part because it seemed like a lot of work, but also because my kids deserve privacy. But in a pandemic we all have to make sacrifices, and GeekTyrant needs content when there are no movies, so meet Nico (not his real name), my eight-year-old who loves Percy Jackson, Minecraft, and Fortnite, and Finn (also not his real name), my three-year-old who loves Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Daniel Tiger.
Today, we are making découpage treasure boxes! How geeky they are depends on what, exactly, you are willing to let your kids cut up. You can also get creative! You will see that we got 3/4 of the way through turning a small wooden race car puzzle into a Marvel Action Spider-Man puzzle, but it hasn’t been finished because I can’t find my X-acto knife, which is concerning. You can also make pencil cases, cover journals/notebooks, or go crazy and cover their whole dresser, just make sure you don’t accidentally glue the drawers shut.
You will need:
Small boxes, shoe box size or smaller
Scissors
Mod Podge (preferred, but you can make your own découpage glue by mixing three parts white glue with one part water)
Paint (optional)
Magazines, comic books, book books, newspaper, even your kid’s drawings (Note: Thinner paper works better. Nico used a dustjacket that was fairly heavy and the edges curled up quite a lot.)
Paintbrushes
A Spider-Man comic book that Finn already mostly trashed, a dustjacket for the Percy Jackson-obsessed Nico, and a Tintin book that I never did get around to cutting all the good Snowy panels out of
You need a clean, smooth surface to work with, so if your box is dusty, wipe it down with a barely damp rag.
Paint, if that’s what you want to do. I wanted to leave the black box as is before applying the art, but Finn does whatever Nico does, so he painted it. Note: If your younger kids are painting, let them do their thing but try to smooth it down before it dries. Finn’s work was a little gloppy and I neglected to do this, so the images we added are a little less than flat.
Cookie break while the paint dries! Also, cut out your art.
When the paint is dry, use a paintbrush (preferably a sponge brush, but any brush will do) apply an even layer of mod podge or your glue/water mixture to the surface of the box.
Carefully place your art on the gluey surface and quickly smooth out any wrinkles. If your children are more patient than mine, let it dry for a few minutes before you varnish it.
Apply another even layer of glue on top of the art.
Let it dry, then fill the box with all of your kid’s most precious Star Wars figures, or whatever they love.
For the puzzle:
Place the completed puzzle on top of your desired artwork, adjust to make sure it is lined up how you want it.
Trace around the edge of the puzzle with a pencil.
Cut the artwork.
Carefully apply the mod podge or glue/water mixture to the top of the puzzle. You want it all covered, but you don’t want to us so much that glue drips between the pieces.
Apply the artwork to the top of the puzzle, carefully smoothing it out.
Apply another even coat of your glue.
Let it dry, then (if you can find yours) use an X-acto knife to carefully cut between the pieces. Possibly add another layer of glue to the edges of the pieces once they have been cut. I’ll let you know if I ever find my X-acto knife.
