As the remaining weeks of Winter play out, I am constantly trying to find new and interesting projects to keep my girls busy instead of hearing them ask time and time again, “Can we please go ride our bikes or play in the sand box?” Never mind that the sandbox is still under two feet of snow!!!

The Calafant Cardboard Toys from Creative Toy Shop have been sanity-savers for me lately! Calafant Cardboard Toys are just that, cardboard toys. But they are the coolest cardboard toys I’ve ever seen!!!

The Calafant Cardboard Toys are toys that you build out of cardboard and then decorate with paint, markers, and, in the case of my girls, stickers. Calafant offers large items (farm, treeehouse, palace, forts, etc), medium toys (pirate ship, farm, castles), and even small toys (carriages, dinosaurs, houses, and different types of transportation). All of these toys are amazingly affordable and range from $7.99 to $24.99.

What makes the Calafant Cardboard Toys so much fun for kids is that once they are finished putting their toy together and have it all decorated, then it becomes a whole new toy! My girls loved decorating the Treehouse and the Rosegarden Palace we received from Creative Toy Shop but what they love even more is playing pretend with them. They spend hours putting their little dolls in the Palace towers pretending to be stranded princess while, naturally, the prince comes running from the Treehouse to rescue her! It is so fun to watch!!!

As a parent with limited space in my house, I love that, if my girls want to take a break from their Calafant toys, I can simply take the toys apart and store them flat on a shelf in the closet! But, I would be very surprised if we come to that day any time soon!

The Calafant Cardboard Toys are perfect for kids ages 3 years and up and are great gift ideas if you are looking for something to keep them occupied over spring break this year or for their Easter baskets!

You can purchase Calafant Cardboard Toys online at Creative Toy Shop. And, if you purchase your cardboard toy from now through March 21, 2010, enter the coupon code 5MIN at checkout and receive 25% off your order of cardboard toys (discount does not apply to already discounted items and only applies to cardboard toys, not storewide).

We are also excited to be giving away TWO $30 gift certificates, redeemable at www.CreativeToyShop.com. To enter, leave us a comment telling us what you purchase with your gift certificate if you won! This giveaway closes on March 19 and is open to US residents.

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If you are already subscribed and are on our newsletter list, you qualify for those two additional entries. Go ahead and leave your additional comments below.

Creative Toy Shop provided me with the Treehouse and the Rosegarden Palace so that I could provide you with an accurate and honest review. They are also providing the two $30 gift certificates for our winners.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Contributing Writer: Stacey Lynn