Creating An Airport Out Of Cardboard: A Fun Diy Project

Making a cardboard airport is a fun project for kids. You can use a variety of cardboard boxes and containers to create the different airport buildings, such as a Pringles can for the control tower, a cracker box for the fire station, and a paper towel roll for the radar tower. You can also use cardboard to create runways, parking, walkways, and taxiways. To add some extra fun, you can include clothes peg airplanes, pipe cleaners, play cars, and stickers.

Choosing a base

When making a cardboard airport, choosing a base is an important first step. You can use cardboard, wood, or plastic for the base of your model. Cut it to size according to your scale and the design you’ve sketched for the airport. Make sure you have room for all of the structures, runways, parking, walkways, and taxiways. Lightly pencil in your design on the base. Use a ruler to make sure you can fit everything on the base according to your scale. If you don't have enough space, eliminate structures, runways, or other items. Alternatively, cut a larger base to accommodate everything that you’ve planned to build.

If you're making a cardboard airport for kids, you can use a moving box as your base. Flatten out the box and fold two of the sections into a "mountain" so that the "sky" will stay propped up. You can then paint the sky and grass/runways using acrylic paints. To make clouds, dab a sea sponge in white paint and blot it on in cloud shapes.

For the airport buildings, you can use a variety of cardboard containers. For example, you can use a pop case for the terminal, a Pringles can for the control tower, an empty cracker box for an airport fire station, and a paper towel roll for a radar tower. You can paint these white to cover up the labels, or let your kids choose their own colours and add their own touches to the buildings.

If you want to add a string to attach clothes peg airplanes so they look like they're flying through the sky, just tape a long blue piece of yarn to both sides of the "sky." This will help your kids work on their fine motor skills while having fun building and playing with their cardboard airport.

Making a hangar

To make a hangar for your cardboard airport, you'll need a piece of cardboard that you can fold into a trapezoidal box. First, flatten out your cardboard and cut it into four sections. Fold two of the sections into a 'mountain' shape so that the 'sky' will stay propped up. You can then paint the sky and the grass/runways. To make clouds, dab a sea sponge in white paint and blot it onto the cardboard in cloud shapes.

You can also add a radar tower to your hangar by hot-gluing a foam ball to the top of a paper towel roll. If you want to add a string to attach clothes peg airplanes so they look like they're flying through the sky, tape a long piece of blue yarn to both sides of the 'sky'.

For the terminal, you can use a pop case, and for the control tower, use a Pringles can with an empty DVD container glued on top and a cardboard circle as the roof. Paint these white to cover up any labels, and then add your own colours and decorations.

When building your airport, make sure you have room for all of the structures, runways, parking, walkways, and taxiways. Lightly pencil in your design on the base and use a ruler to make sure everything fits according to your scale. If you don't have enough space, eliminate some structures or cut a larger base.

Creating a control tower

To create a control tower for your cardboard airport, you can use a Pringles can as the base and glue an empty DVD container on top. Cut out a cardboard circle for the roof and add game pieces as lights, as well as a pipe cleaner for an antenna. You can also cut windows in the tower and make paper cones for the roof. If you want to get more technical, you can follow the steps outlined in the 'How to Make a Cardboard Castle Tower' Instructables guide, which includes instructions for adding a lever and a circuit to your tower. For a simple tower, glue cardboard tubes to the top of a foundation box and cut windows in the sides. Paint the tower grey and add brick lines in black. For a sturdier tower, cut 16 rectangles that are 7 inches by 9 inches and fold them around a steel column to create columns. Finally, if you want a tumbling tower, check out the Instructables guide to making a tumbling dice tower out of cardboard.

Adding a radar tower

To add a radar tower to your cardboard airport, you can use a paper towel roll as the base. Paint it white to cover up any labels or branding. Then, hot-glue a foam ball to the top of the roll to create the radar dish. You could also add a string to attach clothes peg airplanes, making it look like they're flying through the sky. Tape a long piece of blue yarn to both sides of the "sky" and clip on the mini-planes.

If you want to make your radar tower more stable, you can use a Pringles can as the base instead of a paper towel roll. Hot-glue an empty DVD container on top of the can and then cut out a cardboard circle to be the roof. Paint the tower white to cover up any labels, and then add your own colours and decorations.

When planning your radar tower, make sure you have enough space on your base. Cut your base to size according to your scale and design. Use a ruler to make sure everything fits, and eliminate structures or runways if you don't have enough room. You can always cut a larger base to accommodate everything you want to include.

Finally, don't forget to add the finishing touches to your airport. Paint the sky and grass/runways, and use a sea sponge to dab on cloud shapes with white paint. Add optional extras like airplane stickers, pipe cleaners, play cars and airplanes, wooden letters, and a windsock made from fun foam and a wooden stick.

Painting the scene

For the buildings, you can paint them all white to cover up any labels or writing on the cardboard. Then, you can choose your own colours and add your own touches to each building. For example, you could use a Pringles can for the control tower and paint it white before adding your chosen colours.

If you want to add a radar tower, you can hot-glue a foam ball to the top of a paper towel roll and paint it to match the rest of your scene. You can also add a string to attach clothes peg airplanes so they look like they're flying through the sky. Use a long piece of blue yarn and tape it to both sides of the "sky" to create this effect.

Remember to use your imagination and have fun with the painting process! You can add as much or as little detail as you like to make your cardboard airport unique.

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