In case you haven’t noticed… We. Love. Disney. Princesses, Monsters, Mickey, we love it all. But with Dad being a military pilot we were pretty much ecstatic when we heard Disney was releasing Planes! We were the first in line to see it at the theater and of course loved it, so now with the movie being released on DVD, a family movie night was in order. You can own it on Blu-ray Combo Pack & Digital HD on November 19!
Our kids are little, but family movie nights have become somewhat of a tradition already around here, and everyone really looks forward to them! Each movie night we try to set aside time where we can all watch together, undistracted and I always try to make a special surprise. I don’t know what the kids are most excited about… the movie, the undivided attention, or the surprise they know will be waiting on them. See our other family movie nights where we watched Cars or Monsters University for more fun ideas!
Tonight though, it was all about airplanes, well, Disney Planes that is! I was inspired by the idea of a “drive in” movie for the kids, so for this particular movie, I thought what better than a FLY in movie! The wheels were turning so I went by Walmart and picked up some tape, paint, and a few cardboard boxes to start my project, a DIY cardboard airplane. Perfect for coming in for a landing in the living room just in time to catch the showing of Disneys Planes!
My daughter would get a Rochelle inspired pink plane and for my son it would be something a bit more sporty like daddy, a black (his favorite color) fighter jet inspired by Echo and Bravo!
Making our own planes was really pretty simple!
You will need:
(Per Plane)
2 cardboard boxes (at least one big enough for your child to sit in)
duck tape
washi or masking tape
paint
scissors
- Cut the flaps off of the top of one of your cardboard boxes to form the body of your plane.
- Using the side of your second box, draw a line out from the corner to the edge to form a triangle which will be the wing. Repeat this and then cut out both wings.
- Cut an additional small triangle for the nose of the plane and a piece for the tail.
- Now use the left over card board to cut 3 triangles at right angles to act as supports under the wings and nose of the plane.
- Secure the wings and nose to the plane using a long piece of duct tape on top to place them where they should be. Then use the right triangles to act as a support underneath each wing and the nose and secure them well with duct tape.
- For the tail just cut a slit in the back of the plane where you want it positioned and slide it in
- Next paint your plane the desired color.
- After the plane is painted, use the washi tape to put designs onto the plane. I used it on the wings and tail.
- {Optional} I used my silhouette machine to cut out a logo for each plane. As you can see, my son was stars and my daughter was cupcakes! They both loved this extra special little touch that only took a couple of minutes with the silhouette! You can download my Silhouette cut files for free at the bottom of this post.
Usually I would never wake my kids up from a nap — the ultimate sin! But this day, I was so pumped about getting to surprise the kids with the Fly In Movie with their very own plane made it exceptionally hard to wait! Somehow I managed and once Daddy got home we all settled in together to get lost in the movie!
When they first saw the planes I think my 3 year old literally squealed with delight. Both of them hopped right in and went to town! When my little girl found the movie though, playtime was over! She wanted to watch… and now!
My kids are 1.5 and 3.5. I still consider abut 99% of everything I see coming on TV far too mature for them, which is one reason we started doing family movie nights. TV is a treat for the kids and by choosing a movie with great values like Planes, we also get a chance not only to spend time together but also to talk with the kids about what they learned. Planes ended up to be one of the best movies we have seen in awhile for this!
Now if you haven’t seen it, I am not going to ruin the movie with spoilers but the top 5 things from Planes I think reinforce great values and are fantastic to talk about with your kids are:
- Courage- There are so many ways that Dusty shows courage though his thoughts and actions.
- Dreaming big- No matter where you come from, you can dream, and dream big. You are in charge of your future.
- Having a selfless attitude- There are many examples of how Dusty and his friends helped others even when it might hurt them.
- Hard work- Dusty doesn’t expect to be handed life on a silver platter, he dreams big and works hard to achieve his goals
- Teamwork- Dusty’s success wasn’t solely because of him, but came with the help of all the people supporting him.
I hope you enjoyed the easy Planes inspired project we shared today! You can own it on Blu-ray Combo Pack & Digital HD on November 19 to have your own fly in movie! If you want more inspiration for a Planes movie night of your very own, check out the Planes Facebook Page, Planes on Twitter and on their very own Pinterest page!
Download the cut files for the CUPCAKE and STAR here!
JanetGoingCrazy says
This is so amazingly fun that I’m dying here! Your kids are ahhhhh-dorable and those cardboard planes are so much fun. Thank you for the downloadable stencils, too! I love, love, love this! #client
Kimber says
Thanks Janet! I appreciate your kind words. We all had a lot of fun with this project! And of course the kids won’t stop asking to watch planes!
Geralin @ Metropolitan Organizing says
Wow – recycling, family fun and creative energy – – all rolled into one project! You really do amaze me with your ideas. Plus, your children are precious! These are really cute.
Kimber says
THanks Geralin! I appreciate you stopping by. The kids had a great time, and yes I think they are the cutest too haha!
Jen says
That is really awesome! You did a fabulous job! Amazing.
Kimber says
THanks Jen! The kids had so much fun!
popcosmo says
SO cute – you sure have some lucky kids!!!
Kimber says
Haha thanks! Maybe they will agree with you someday!
Shana Norris says
Your kids look like they’re having such fun. Family movie nights are the best.