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Jack-in-the-Box

Surprise everyone with this crafty Jack-in-the box project.

Materials Needed

Ice cream tub or any sturdy
canister or box
Spring (diameter ¼ inch)
Pingpong ball
Permanent markers
White acrylic paint
Colored poster paint or
acrylic paint
Paint brush
Colored paper
Pipe cleaner
Scissors
White glue
Glue gun
For Jack's hair, use any of these:
crepe paper, yarn, shredded
paper, colored cotton

Safety Guidelines

Always let your child use child-safe scissors.
Keep the glue gun out of children's reach.
Watch out for this sign . It means you need an adult's help for the particular step.

Steps

	1.	Find a suitable container for your Jack-in-the-box. An ice cream tub or any sturdy canister or box will do.
	2.	Prime the exterior of the container, including the lid, with white acrylic paint. Let the paint dry completely.
	3.	Once the paint dries, punch a small hole at the center of the container's bottom.
	4.	The spring should be about 3 inches longer than your container's height.
	5.	Insert one end of the spring through the hole at the bottom of the container. Apply glue gun adhesive around the end of the spring that juts out from the bottom.
	6.	Apply glue gun adhesive around the hole from the inside of the container as well.
	7.	Cut a small hole on a pingpong ball just large enough for the spring to get through.
	8.	Insert the free end of the spring through the hole on the ball. Fix the ball in place with a glue gun.
	9.	Draw a face on the ball using permanent markers. You can make a happy face, a funny face or a sad face. Don't be afraid to give your Jack-in-the-box an interesting character.
	10.	Glue on some hair on the head with any of these materials: crepe paper, yarn, colored cotton, or shredded paper. You can make curly hair or straight hair, long or short hair, black or blonde hair. Be creative and try to make an interesting hairstyle.
	11.	Cut a 3 to 4-inch length of pipe cleaner and loop both ends to avoid any sharp parts. To make arms for the Jack-in-the-box, twist the pipe cleaner around the portion of the spring just below the head. Pull both ends to fix the pipe cleaner tightly around the spring.
	12.	Cut two identical t-shirt shapes on colored paper. Glue the shirts back-to-back onto your character.
	13.	If you want to conceal the glue gun adhesive below the head, scrunch up a strip of crepe paper and glue it around the shirt's neckline.
	14.	Paint the box exterior and the lid with poster paint or acyrlic paint. You may paint on designs and small details if you wish.
	15.	Once everything is dry, bend your character inwards and put the lid on the container.
	16.	Give your Jack-in-the-box a try. Open the lid to see Jack jump out of the box!

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