Tangram Fridge Magnets Using Waste Cardboard Box

Do you also feel bad when you order something online and get delivered in a huge cardboard box. To fight this guilt i decided to make good use of these boxes especially the ones which can't be used to pack things again.

I made Tangram using the cardboard boxes and glued a magnets at back, now i cant cross my fridge without stoping by to make a new shape out of these cool magnets. You can play puzzle games or making fridge magnet paste them on canvas and frame to make beautiful decoration.

Kids would love to make and play with these.

Discarded cardboard box

Ruler

Pen/Pencil

Cutter or art knife

Cutting mat or base

Glue

7 Fridge magnets

Super Glue or Hot Glue

Paint

Tangram is a square cut in seven pieces 2 big triangles 2 small triangles 1 medium triangle 1 square and 1 parallelogram.

To start you need to draw a square on cardboard using ruler and pen. It is upto you how big you want, for fridge magnets square of 10-20 cm sides is good, my square with 15cm sides.

Now connect opposite corners and draw both diagonals.

I am naming the square ABCD and O where diagonals intersects.

Mark E and F mid points on BC and DC respectively.

Connect EF, Mark G where EF cuts AC.

with ruler measure distance OG

mark I on OB and H on OD where OI=OH=OG

join GI and HF

Thats all

Cut on the marked lines except GC.

CFE is the medium sized triangle so be careful while cutting this.

Lets call this set 'Front Panel'

Draw a new Tangram as in step one or use the already cut pieces as template to draw smaller pieces individually. Later one is useful when you want to use smaller sides of the cardboard box.

You may have to cut more Tangram depending upon thickness of cardboard and thickness of the magnet you are using. I am using magnet 1.5 mm thick and the cardboard is 2 mm thick so i just need 2 of each piece. In the end you should have 1 'Front Panel' set of pieces and 1 or more 'Back Panel' set of pieces where thinkness of all one type of pieces is more than thickness of the magnet you are using.

Using magnets mark the boundary on one side of one set of 'Back Panel' pieces.

Cut the hole where magnet will sit. Now if you have more than one set of 'Back Panels' use already cut piece to align and mark the boundary and cut.

Apply glue on back panels and glue them to corresponding front panel.

Let it dry

Apply superglue/hotglue to magnet and insert it in the hole

Let everything dry.

Paint in desired colors.

Paint the sides as well.

Challenge others or discover new shapes

Now your fridge is your canvas

have fun