Even though Halloween may look a little different this year for many families, there are still ways to make the most of popular seasonal traditions, like costumes, spooky decor and festive treats.
Rather than venturing out to look for a costume, get creative at home with everyday craft supplies and delivery boxes to make unique, low-cost costumes – or “boxtumes.” Not only are boxtumes a simple way to save money by upcycling delivery boxes you’ve accumulated, but making them can be a fun activity for the whole family.
Your creations can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like. Turn an everyday hero into a Halloween superhero this year with a DIY fire truck boxtume, or make it a duo costume perfect for siblings by adding a DIY fire hydrant boxtume to match.
DIY Duo Firefighting Boxtumes
Projects courtesy of Michelle Nhu
Fire Truck
Amazon Prime or other cardboard boxes, variety of sizes
Scissors
Paint brushes
Red acrylic paint
White acrylic paint
Gray acrylic paint
Hot glue
Hot glue gun
Markers, variety of colors (optional)
Have your child sit in different size boxes to find one that fits comfortably. Save other boxes for later.
Using scissors, cut out top and bottom of box to create truck shape.
Using reserved boxes and scissors, cut out two ladders, six medium circles and six smaller circles for wheels, rectangles for front and back windshields, six small squares for windows and equipment doors, four circles for headlights and seven thin rectangles for grill.
Using paint brush, paint large box mostly red or get creative and use separate paint brushes to paint white stripes down sides of box and half of front gray for grill. Then paint ladders, grill pieces and medium wheel circles black. Paint small wheel circles and equipment doors gray and windows and lights white.
Once paint dries, use hot glue and glue gun to adhere each piece to fire truck as desired. Use markers to outline windows and add dots to small wheel circles and equipment door handles, if desired.
Fire Hydrant
Amazon Prime or other cardboard boxes, variety of sizes
Scissors
Hot glue
Hot glue gun
3 empty tape rolls
1 cotton headband
Red acrylic paint
Black acrylic paint
Paint brushes
Blue pants or skirt
Blue tulle (optional)
Blue felt pieces (optional)
Select box that fits around your child’s torso.
Using scissors, cut box into eight equal-sized rectangles.
Assemble rectangles vertically into octagon and glue together using hot glue and glue gun.
Using scissors, cut holes for arms on two sides of octagon. Glue two empty tape rolls to outside of arm holes and one on front to mimic nut on fire hydrant.
On flat piece of another box, draw dome shape that will fit your child’s head. Use scissors to cut it out then glue bottom to stretchy, cotton headband.
Using paint brush, paint cardboard pieces red. Use separate brush to paint black stripes on corners of octagon.
Once paint dries, boxtume is complete. On blue pants or skirt meant to mimic water, glue pieces of blue tulle and blue felt pieces to look like water droplets, if desired.
