Here's a typical "boy" theme... the fortified castle. This isn't our first...
The step Loïc didn't like the most was painting the whole castle to hide the "cardboard" color, so we came up with the solution of using an already black box and black corrugated cardboard.

The material: a black shoebox, 30 cm x 20 cm black corrugated cardboard a sheet of red cardboard some wooden spikes a stapler For the 4 towers, cut out 4 rectangles of corrugated cardboard: 18 cm by 25 cm high. Roll up these rectangles, securing them with a staple at the top and one at the bottom. Make two 10 cm high notches, 4 cm apart. Attach each tower at each corner using the notches.

Strips of 6 cm corrugated cardboard will be cut and stapled along the castle wall... to form the curtain walls linking the flanking towers... (a little vocabulary, by the way!). The strips must extend beyond the edge of the box.
The dungeon (the central tower, the last rampart housing the lord of the castle) is made in a 20 x 25 cm rectangle (so it's smaller but wider than the others). It must be attached to the center of the castle.

Tipfor attaching the central tower: use the lid of a round cardboard box. Wrap the tower around the lid, resting on its edges. Secure the lid to the center of the castle with double-sided tape, for example: it'll stand up well to assaults!

Crenellations are cut into the tops of the towers and walls. The easiest way: make notches at regular 1 cm intervals, then fold every other crenel inwards. The pointed roof of the central tower is made by cutting a circle from the red cardboard sheet. The circle can be drawn along the outline of a bowl, for example. The circle is rolled up to form a cone and taped to the inside of the central tower. Il s'appuie sur les créneaux repliés vers l'intérieur.

Ensuite, un adulte pourra se charger de la découpe du pont-levis au cutter pour une découpe bien nette. Une porte-grille a été ajoutée par Loïc avec un "système" qui permet de fermer et d'ouvrir la grille. Wooden spikes are staked on both sides of the grid, enabling it to be pulled and pushed. The grid slides through a strip of paper staked horizontally.

Cherryon the cake! A flag made from a wooden spike and a rectangle folded around it is stuck to the top of the cone.

The castle's respectable size means it can be played with by famous figurines.... so let's get cracking !!!!

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