Cardboard Challenge in the Berkshires

The Berkshire Cardboard Challenge, is inspired by the International Day of Play, an annual event sponsored by the Imagination Foundation and inspired by “Caine’s Arcade” that invites kids around the world to design and build awesome creations using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. Artists will be on hand as facilitators as kids of all ages play with cardboard – families are particularly encouraged to attend.

What more can a box be than a corrugated cube of cardboard? Explore the possibilities at the Berkshire Cardboard Challenge! IS183, Art School of the Berkshires, offers an opportunity for kids and families of all ages to exercise their creativity in celebration of the International Day of Play! Held from 11am-2pm on Sunday, October 5th at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Williamstown, the event invites families to experiment with recycled materials to create fascinating feats of engineering and imagination!

Inspired by Caine’s Arcade, a elaborate all-cardboard arcade created by an elementary school student, the Berkshire Cardboard Challenge helps to promote creative free play amongst kids of all ages. A box can become anything in the world (or out of this world!), allowing for endless hours of play influenced by little more than a child’s imagination and experiences. Participating in free play can help children’s creativity grow, and can strengthen their confidence in their own imagination. Play can help children explore new ideas, develop characters, and find solutions to problems that, though they are invented, may teach them useful lessons for real life…

In addition to valuable creative free play time, the Berkshire Cardboard Challenge offers budding engineers and designers a chance to practice their skill! Creating a cardboard structure requires, in addition to imagination, some skill in designing, cutting, and building with boxes. More complex structures and creations require well thought out plans – an activity that calls for use of basic geometry skills, as well as good understanding of spatial relations. Though building a cardboard dragon or palm three might appear to be a great “mindless” activity, it’s actually an activity that’s filled with lots of thinking!

The Little Red Schoolhouse is located at 32 New Ashford Road in Williamstown, MA. For more information about the event, contact IS 183 by e-mailing cecilia@is183.org or calling 413-298-5252 ex. 100.