Your Tryo arrived in a cardboard box. Now give that box a second life. Turn it into something useful, functional or simply beautiful - and show us what you create.
Remodel your Tryo box into something different. Apart from the box, you can use other packaging materials that came with it, or disposable things and common stationery that you find at home. Please do not buy anything specifically for this challenge. Please note the following:
Use these ideas as sparks. Change them, combine them, or make something entirely different.
Starter idea 1
Turn a flat piece of the box into a tilting maze. Add walls, tunnels, traps, bridges or moving gates.
Starter idea 2
Use the box as a stage, add a paper screen, create characters and put on a tiny show.
Starter idea 3
Cut, fold, curve, layer or slot pieces together. Your sculpture could be an animal, an imaginary creature, a building or an abstract shape.
Starter idea 4
Could you add a wheel, lever, slider, hinge or turning handle? Explore movements such as round and round, up and down or side to side.
Fluted boxes, commonly referred to as corrugated boxes, are the brown boxes commonly used for packaging, shipping and storing a variety of products. They are called corrugated because they are made from corrugated (meaning wavy) paperboard.
These boxes typically have three layers: an inner liner, an outer liner, and a fluted or wavy middle layer. It is this wavy middle layer that makes the cardboard strong.
Such sandwich structures can be so strong that they have been used in the floor and wing panels of Boeing 747s. Similar sandwich structures are found in nature too: in plant leaves, crustacean shells and our own skull bones!
The curved arches in the fluting distribute weight and force across the surface, preventing any single point from bearing too much load. This allows fluted boxes to hold heavier items without being crushed easily.
You might recall how arches work in TinkerTime's PlayBook on the Self-supporting Bridge project. The wavy form of the flute acts like tiny arches and beams, significantly increasing the box's compression strength.
In addition, the air pockets formed by the flutes act as a cushioning layer, absorbing shocks and offering strong protection for fragile items. This design helps products stay intact during transportation, even when the box is handled roughly.
Tape and glue are useful, but try other methods shown in the videos below:
Watch the demo (especially the first one), then try the idea on a scrap piece of cardboard before using it in your build.
Entries would be judged on creativity, resourcefulness and intentional application of cardboard’s properties (see the section ‘About Cardboard'). Size of the creation or polished looks wouldn't matter as much as thoughtfulness would.
Make a video where you showcase and explain your creation. Show what it does, and what you learnt and modified while building it. Ask your parent or guardian to email the video (or a working link to the video) to outofthebox@tinkermills.com.
Note:
1. The video should not exceed 90 seconds, and should be shot in landscape orientation.
2. If it is too large to send by email, you can share a YouTube link (make sure you provide access for us to view the video)
3. In the body of your email, please mention the makers' name, age and your Tryo order number.
Sending an entry means the parent or guardian allows TinkerTime to share the maker's first name, age, photos and video. We will confirm permission again before publishing and will never share private contact details or address publicly.
The top three entries would each receive ₹1,500 off on their next TinkerTime order, valid until 31 December 2026.
Look at the box again carefully. It protected your Tryo on its journey to you. What can it become now??
Happy tinkering!