Repurpose, Craft & Play

Long after the toys have found their place on your shelves, the box they arrived in still has plenty of play left in it. At Oskar's Wooden Ark, sustainability isn't just about what's inside the box - it's about what happens to it next, and we love seeing the second life our customers give it.

To a child, an empty cardboard box is never just an empty cardboard box. It's a puppet theatre, a castle turret, a small world landscape waiting to be built - asking nothing but imagination.

Below is a gallery of real #OWABOX creations from our community to spark ideas for your own box before it heads to the recycling bin. However you repurpose yours, we'd love to see it: tag your photos #OWABOX on Instagram or Facebook and you might end up in the gallery too.

DIY T-Shirt Folder

John

Doll's Bed

@oskarswoodenark

Letter Box

@exploringlifetogether

Mixed Media Rainbow Collage

@learnandbloom

Paper Lantern

@_simply_bea_

Photo Frame

@learnandbloom

Pizza Oven Play

@oskarswoodenark

Play Castle

@learnandbloom

Shadow Puppet Theatre

@oskarswoodenark

Rainbow Nature Scavenger Hunt

@playroomstories

Rapunzel Tower

@oskarswoodenark

Sensory Play Base

@pagesofchildhood

Shape Puzzle

with Grimm's building blocks, @learnandbloom

Shape Sorting Box

with Grimm's building blocks, @pagesofchildhood

Small World Scenes

@_simply_bea_

Sun Catcher Wand

@oskarswoodenark

Your Box, Your Story

Every box in this gallery started out the same way as yours - until imagination took over. Whatever your OWA Box becomes next, we'd love it to become part of the story. Snap a photo and share it with us using the tag #OWABOX - the next update to this gallery could be yours.

Share Your Brilliant Box Idea

More fun ideas with recycled materials?

We've picked our favourite, easiest-to-make activities from our community, using recycled materials you already have at home: cardboard boxes, cardboard tubes, egg cartons, glass jars, popsicle sticks and wooden pegs.

Best of all, many of these projects pair beautifully with products you already own (or might want to add to your collection), from building blocks to craft supplies.

Discover more ways to recycle and play