After reading a story, first graders create a character pop-up puppet craft. Provide paper large enough to cover the oatmeal container. Instruct students to draw a scene from the story and write the title of the book on it. Assist them in gluing the decorated paper on the oatmeal box. Give students a circle cut from white poster board that is 1-inch smaller in diameter than the box lid. Direct students to color the main characters face on the poster board with markers. Help students attach the face to a wood dowel about 2 inches longer than the height of the box. Students then use paper to create the front and back pieces of a character body no wider than the oatmeal box. Assist them in attaching the body by sandwiching the dowel between the front and back body pieces with glue. Help students poke a hole in the bottom of the oatmeal box and push the dowel bottom through the hole. The character puppet pops in and out of the decorated oatmeal box by pushing and pulling the dowel. Students use it to retell the story.
After studying space, have students create a rocket ship craft from the oatmeal box by covering it with foil. Students then add construction paper lettering and decorations to the outside of the rocket. Direct them to create a rocket top cone using a 6 inch paper circle. Have students cut a slit from the circle edge to center, then overlap the cut edges of the slit and secure with glue to create a cone. Guide students in attaching the cone to the box lid edges with glue. Provide students with modeling clay to create an alien to "fly" the rocket. Once dry, place the alien in the rocket craft.
Give students white paper and instruct them to create a scene from a habitat you have been studying, such as desert or rainforest. Mix up salt dough or provide modeling clay for students. Instruct students to use the dough or clay to create a model of a creature that lives in the habitat picture they drew. Require that students also create clay models or paper drawings of the items in the habitat that help the animal to survive. Help students glue the habitat animal on the top of the craft box. Instruct students to keep all the other items in the decorated habitat oatmeal box.
When studying history or after reading a fort or castle themed book, have first graders make a fort or castle craft from oatmeal boxes. Each student needs four oatmeal boxes to use as the corner towers of the fort or castle craft. Give students fort- or castle-colored construction paper and poster board. Students glue construction paper on the oatmeal boxes and create narrow, rectangular fort or castle walls from the poster board. Assist students in taping the walls to the four towers using tape. Provide students with four, 6-inch paper circles to create cones for the tower tops. Help students cut slits to the center of the circles. They then overlap the cut edges and tape to create cones that attach to the oatmeal box lids with glue. Students can create fort or castle object crafts to keep in the boxes.