DIY Tic Tac Toe Lunch Box

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Did you have one of those metal lunch boxes when you were a kid? I totally did! I don’t remember what character was on mine- maybe Care Bears- but I remember that it had a red handle. I carried it to kindergarten. Anytime I see a metal lunch box, I think of toting that red handle to school every day. Of course, I understand why metal lunch boxes aren’t the norm today. My daughter carries a ballerina insulated lunch box. But I thought a metal lunch box would be fun for road trips and excursions. And in DIY style, I had to turn it into an activity, too. With a few supplies, you can turn a metal lunch box into a DIY Tic Tac Toe Lunch Box with a chalk board score board inside!

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to make the tic tac toe pieces easy, but you can still make this if you’re cutting this by hand. I’ll list the steps for using a die cutting machine and for cutting by hand where applicable.

Supplies:

Plain tin lunch box
Permanent vinyl
Magnetic sheets if cutting by hand, Printable or adhesive magnet paper if using a Silhouette
Chalkboard spray paint
Painter’s tape
Scissors, if cutting by hand

Open the tin lunch box. Tape out and cover any thing that you do not want covered in chalk board paint. I painted the inside lid portion only.

Following the directions on the spray paint, cover the inside lid and let dry completely. Be sure to place something under the lid to keep it level while drying so that the paint doesn’t run.

Now create the tic tac toe board on the front of the lunch box. Measure the length and width of your box. Subtract 1 inch from each measurement. If using a Silhouette, cut two pieces of permanent vinyl that are 1/4″ by (length measurement minus one). Cut two pieces of permanent vinyl that are 1/4″ by (width measurement minus one). Apply these pieces to the front of the box to create the tic tac toe board. If using scissors, cut pieces with the same measurements as mentioned for the Silhouette cuts, but simply use scissors and a ruler to get the correct cuts.

Next, create the playing pieces. If using scissors, cut three “O” shapes and three “X” shapes from magnet paper. If using a Silhouette, design 3 “O” and 3 “X”. I am using the Adhesive Magnet Paper in my Silhouette. I actually used the print and cut function to color the “X” and “O” shapes before cutting.

Get competitive with your mad tic tac toe skills!

If you’re hitting the road for a trip, use the extra space in the box to pack snacks. Dannon® Danimals® make tasty snacks, and if you find a “Golden Bongo” bottle (located in specially marked packages), you could win a Play60 Field Day for your school with NFL pros! Dannon® Danimals® is known for having “only the good stuff”, and it tastes great, too!