Cardboard Creations

By Nancy Clark
Jumpin' With Cindy Essay Contest Runner-up

As a nanny with little to no musical skills, I am more fondly referred to by my employers as a creative nanny. In 15 years, I have done hundreds of crafts with my charges.

One project which stands out was that I worked for a family who always had a large supply of boxes. One cold, rainy day I took several of the boxes and made a large rocket ship about 8 feet tall. My three year old charge helped me cover the outside with foil. We made a control panel using wooden spoons for levers and plastic bottle caps for buttons. He played all day in his rocket ship. I did not know how his parents would feel about a rocket ship in the family room but, to my surprise, the next morning, his father had added lights and a switch. A few days later his mother bought a space costume and helmet.

On another occasion, the same charge who was then 4 and his 2 year old brother, loved stories made up and in books about pirates. We decided to make a day of pirate adventures. We made a huge pirate ship out of boxes. I made a sail using a broom handle and poster board. A pie tin was the steering wheel. Newspapers worked great to make pirate hats and the costumes were completed with homemade swords and eye patches. The fun continued with a treasure hunt. We made clues with stained tea and I burned the edges to make the clues look old. Then, the four year old drew a map. We filled a shoe box with toys and some of my old jewelry.

When the parents came home, everyone dressed up as pirates and participated in the treasure hunt. It was hard for the 4 yr old to contain his excitement, since he was the one to put out the clues. The family had so much fun that when I came to work the next day, they had made more clues and we had another treasure hunt.

I worked for that family for 4 1/2 wonderful years. Mom quit her job and said she really wanted to do all the fun things I had been doing with her children. I see them fairly often and I am always impressed with the fun things they create. The parents share in the children's excitement everyday. I know they were tired at the end of the day, they never let it show.

The boys did get exposure to music, using homemade instruments and my out of key singing as well as Music Together classes. What they remember most about me though is my made up stories and adventures with crafts. Give them a box, they can be anything or go anywhere their imaginations can take them.