Happy Meal Craft

There's not much that will thrill my kids more than a trip to McDonald's.  There's so much there for a kid to love: greasy food, soda, a play area and the all-important Happy Meal toy.  I have to admit that McD's has had some really great toys lately - Ella has added several My Little Ponies to her Ponyville collection, Strawberry Shortcake dolls and stamps, Barbie lip gloss, etc.  Even though my son doesn't eat anything besides Apple Dippers and fries, I now have to buy him a Happy Meal since he's now old enough to realize that he wants a toy, too.  His favorites have included a robot from Astro Boy, Hot Wheels car, and recently, a small Nerf gun.

In addition to the toy, my kids get just as excited about the Happy Meal box.  It's colorful and usually pictures some of their favorite characters.  Sometimes, there are cut-outs and punch-out pieces - one box even turned into a ramp for the Hot Wheels car.  Christian also uses the box as an robot hat.

Several weeks ago, Ella got a Build-A-Bear monkey in her Happy Meal.  She decided that he needed a home and the Happy Meal box fit the bill.  All by herself, she cut out strips of paper and glued them around the box to make a home for her monkey.  My mom helped cut out a door, but Ella did all the rest of the work.  I thought it was pretty creative of her.  We still have the box and she stores it in her closet with the rest of her toys. 

The next time you take your kiddos to McD's, don't throw away that box - ask your kids what they can make with it!