I remember reading Charlie and The Chocolate factory in the school library way back…when. Fast forward to the next century and many children are only familiar with Charlie through the movies; but the book is still my favourite, and my children also enjoy it and have been busy making Roald Dahl crafts this year (I’ll share another one with you next year), but today, the children are happy to present you with their kid-made and designed Chocolate Box. Read on and discover other great book-themed gifts later in this post, too!
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Last December we participated in a fun fundraiser for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, and the children used that project as a bit of inspiration for this as well. The difference is that they did 95% of this project themselves, and they did a marvellous job!
Chocolate Box supplies
- A small wooden box (you could use this one, but we found one for £2 in Belfast)
- Roald Dahl paper, or an artistic hand to draw your own images
- Paint (we used some leftover house paint, but acrylics would also work well)
- Paintbrush
- Clear varnish
- Masking tape (I actually used washi tape because I found it easier to cut precisely)
- Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Book
Because this was a kid-craft, the children cleared the kitchen table and prepared it for being artistic. They covered the table with an inexpensive, disposable table cloth, then brought out a mat they use when they are handling paint or glue to help contain any drips. They held the table covering in place with some painted rocks they made: it’s a great way to use them!
This is when I stepped in to help. My job was to use some washi tape to cover the little brass hinges, clasp, and corner embellishments on the box. This was a bit of a tricky job to first cover the bits with tape, and then use a sharp craft knife to cut around the embellishments so that only the brass pieces were covered, and not the wooden box. Then it was back over to the kids.
They used a roll of packing tape to put under the box to raise it up so the could paint right to the bottom of it without it sticking to the table. They also put a piece of thick paper advertising between the top and bottom of the box to prevent them from painting the lid shut.
They took turns painting sides, and the bottom. Then it was time to let it dry before they turned it over and painted the top of the box.
The children then repeated the process for a second coat of paint and let that dry, too.
It was briefly back to me again to use the craft knife to tease the tape from the brass pieces.
The box was looking good….and I forgot to take a photo of it at this stage! Just imagine a white box…
Tristan and Kallista then went through our Roald Dahl papers and chose some designs that they both liked that were from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and that would also fit on the box.
Now it was time to decorate the box. First apply a layer of clear varnish over one of the surfaces, going with the grain. Then the kids placed the designs they had chosen into place and spread another layer of varnish over the top to hold it in place. They added decorations to all sides of the box!
They took turns again, working their way around the box. Everything went smoothly until the last one on the top of the box. This piece became a little ‘wavy.’ Kallista was in charge of this piece and she allowed me to help her lift it up and put a thicker coat of varnish below the illustration before putting it back into place and smoothing it down once again. It just needed enough varnish to saturate through the cardstock. Then it was good to go!
Tristan even put a ‘golden ticket’ on the bottom of the inside of the box as a fun surprise!
The toughest part of this project for the children was waiting for the paint and varnish to dry. The hardest part for me was not eating the delicious chocolates that needed to go in the box, and not in my tummy!
We found a box of chocolates that was just about the right size for the project, and they are so very colourful and bright! Just like jewels inside a treasure chest!
Now the children will have to decide who will be the lucky recipient of this special Golden Ticket Chocolate Box….they are still in negotiations with each other; the candidates so far are a couple of neighbours (who like their art and projects), the librarians (a literary gift for them), a friend of the family, or an extended family member.
I may have to make another trip into the city for more boxes and chocolates!
Roald Dahl is huge over here in the UK, is it the same where you are? What is your child’s favourite Roald Dahl book? Share it below in the comments!
Then click through the links below to discover more ornaments inspired by great books! Many thanks to Mama Miss who has organised another great blog hop, bringing together the best kid bloggers around!
- The Life of Jennifer Dawn
- Creative World of Varya
- Mama.Papa.Bubba.
