Cardboard spaceship afternoons

We kept every delivery box for a month and finally put them to work. The kids wanted a spaceship, so we drew a crooked dashboard, cut out portholes, and taped together a cockpit that barely fits two small astronauts.

The control panel is a thrifted VCR faceplate, a handful of stray keyboard caps, and a roll of fluorescent gaffer tape. It looks ridiculous and perfect. We took turns calling out countdowns and blasting into the couch cushions.

Next tweak: adding LED strips for “re-entry mode” and a cup holder for juice boxes. The build lives in the garage now, waiting for the next mission.