We've spent so much time exploring & creating in our garden recently. Minnie seems to go on bug hunts daily & she loves to observe her finds in a little bug pot with a magnifying glass. To enable Minnie to observe her bug finds from every angle I created this mirror discovery box.
To make our Mirror Box I used
an empty Innocent (smoothie) fruit tubes box (any small box would also work well)
double-sided tape
self adhesive mirror roll
scissors
silver paper.
We're big fans of Innocent smoothies in this house, not only are they delicious, but the boxes are great for craft too! (Did you see our mobile dog home?)
To create our discovery box I opened the box out flat & cut it in half (as in pic 1).
Keep the remaining card for later.
I then cut a section of mirror roll & attached it to one side of the flattened box. Once it was covered I cut around the previous folds at the bottom of the fruit box to create the flaps (these will form the base of the box). (pic 2)
To recreate the box shape I added the double sided tape to three of the flaps, & to one of the
outer sides of the box (pic 3)
Once the sides were stuck together I created the bottom of the box. Using the other half of the juice carton I cut out a square the same size as the base of the box, covered it with self adhesive mirror, & secured to the base of the box with double sided tape (pic 4).
To finish off the box I covered the outside with some remnants of silver coloured paper left over from Christmas crafts.
The mirror box allows you to observe every side of an object at the same time.
Great for observing insects from different angles & closely viewing their movement. It was fascinating to view the underside of this earwig & its leg movements as it crawled along the mirror.
This mini mirror box is great for observing shape, form, & patterns.
Great for exploring symmetry too.
The size of the box makes it perfect for little hands to hold, & it's an ideal size to take with you on a walk to explore any interesting finds.
I love that this mirror discovery box enables nature to be explored & observed in so many ways.
Great for discovering objects indoors as well.
By simply adding a magnifying glass a new set of discoveries can be explored too.
This little box took less than 20mins to make & has been used so many times already.
The box would be great for all ages to explore as anything can be added; toys, food, natural objects etc. Bigger boxes could be made to observe larger items, & I'm sure older children would enjoy creating their own.
So many learning opportunities & discovery from one recycled cardboard box - fantastic!
For more mirror play check out our Mirror Seascape Play Area.