Kid's Art Desk and Podium

This project is a small (60 cm/2 ft) recycled desk, it makes a perfect desk for drawing and doing school work for kids. It also works as a podium, and with a smaller chair anyone can use it comfortably, supporting a large laptop. My inspiration for this piece was our Elementary school's art class, who is horribly underfunded and hoping to start a trash and recycled art unit. The kids there seemed to love working on it, and putting their own one together! It is so much more rewarding to work on something you made.

Tools:
Knife/Scissors/Exacto Knife
Rulers

Materials:

Corrugated cardboard box (mine was 50*25 cm, the boxes our Dell computers came shipped in.)

Cardboard desktop (any size works, we used either a 55*50 sheet or a 55*40, the sides of a snacks box.)

Duct tape

Optional:

Plywood/Vinyl reinforcements (we used half boards of vinyl flooring on the sides to support extra weight.)

Construction staples (holds reinforced legs together better)

Small foam pieces (covered our staples, if you want a higher slope you can add them as spacer.)

Hot glue (helps bond the foam)

We had plenty of these 50*25 cm Dell shipping boxes, shown in the first picture, which happened to work perfectly for this project.

First, we completely deconstructed the boxes, being careful not to tear the cardboard in the process. After, it will look like the second picture. Fold the corners in and close the tabs over them. This expands the box from the original 25 cm to about 60.This will be your legs, and from here you can seal the joints with tape.

This step is optional, and takes some cutting and extra material, but leaves you with a sturdier product. We tried it with both vinyl flooring and wood, and either works. Cut out 2 strips the size of the side legs, 12 cm deep and 60 cm long. Secure in place with tape, and run construction staples through for extra strength. That requires a hammer and adult supervision, however, with the sharp points of the staples. With vinyl, they may stick out a bit, so cover ends with foam as necessary.

Center your cardboard sheet over the legs, and tape or glue down as necessary. If you want extra tilt, you can add foam under one side. Once you've done this, it is done! One of our students even made a door in the back of her's to keep her supplies. I hope this project finds joy with your children or students as it did ours. :)