Arts and Crafts

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon

In Cameroon, as in much of Africa, children make their own toys out of boxes, tin cans, and rubber from old sandals. See if you can do the same.

Sport utility vehicle

Materials needed:

Small shoe boxes
Foam board
Tempera paints
Masking tape
Scissors
Pencil
Sand (optional)
Big nail for poking holes
Large paper fasteners

A sport utility vehicle is just the thing for the dirt roads of Cameroon. After choosing a box for your vehicle, cut foam board (in Africa they cut rubber wheels from old beach sandals) into circles for wheels. Draw a rectangle in the bottom corner of one side of the box. The rectangle should be one third of the length and about half the depth of the box. Cut out the rectangle, and use it as a pattern to cut out a piece on the opposite side of the box. Now bend the bottom and end of the shoe box to fit along space you have cut to make a windshield and hood. Tape in place. If you wish, cut doors that fold open and closed. Poke holes through the center of the wheels with the nail. Poke holes in the box, and attach the wheels with brass paper fasteners. Paint the vehicle, and while the paint along the bottom is still wet, sprinkle sand on it to look as though it's really been traveling through the dirt roads of Cameroon!