Make a bus like the Andersons’ Old Red

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cardboard bus

Take a look at Old Red in The English Family Anderson and have a go at making a model bus just like it 🙂

You’ll need:

some cardboard, a pencil, a rubber, a pen, some paint, some scissors, a ruler and some sticky tape.

some cardboard, a pencil, a rubber, a pen, some paint, some scissors, a ruler and some sticky tape.

measuring it out

First measure out the shape of the bus.  Using a cereal box made it easy because I could use the side as the roof (so it already had neat folds).  The front needs to be the same width as the roof; make the length at least twice the width of the bus.  Mine came out a bit short but you can make yours as long as you’ve got room for on your cardboard.

Once you’ve got the two sides, roof and front measured out you can draw in the details.  My bus is open at the back because I want to be able to furnish the inside later, but if you’ve got a long enough piece of card you can draw a back too (see the video at the bottom for how it should all be laid out).

front

windows

windows and door

When you’ve got it all mapped out, go over all the good lines in pen.

pen

Then rub out all the untidy planning lines you don’t want anymore.

rub out pencil lines

Then paint it 🙂

paint

When it’s dry, cut it out:

cut it out

Now you’ve just got to fold it and stick it.  If you’ve used a box like I have, you should already have good tidy creases between the sides and roof, but you’ll need to score a neat crease where the front folds to meet the other side.  Carefully place a ruler on the wrong side (inside) of the bus, along the line where you want to fold it, and score a line with your scissors.

score

NB: If you want to furnish the inside of the bus then take a look at this before you stick it together.  Then put a piece of tape on the top and side edge of the front of the bus (again on the wrong side)

tape

Then you can fold it and stick it to the top and other side of the bus.

It’s a bit fiddly but you’ll get there 🙂

And there you have it!

cardboard bus

model 2

model 3

I got this idea from Dylan Bryan.

Watch him do it (especially look out for his mum interrupting) I love this video* 🙂

* sadly, Dylan’s video is now deleted from youtube 😦

If you want to furnish your bus, go to Part 2 🙂

43 thoughts on “Make a bus like the Andersons’ Old Red”

    • Thank you so much, but I can’t take the credit for this – I found a youtube video in which a sweet little boy who loved making cardboard buses showed us how to make it. I included the video in this post but unfortunately it has since been deleted from youtube. He was adorable, I wish you could have seen him 😀

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  8. wow…great idea. You are talented and good at telling someone like me how to do this. The photos are very helpful. I like how the sunglasses on the table and the fact that the t.v is on adds to the feeling that this is a creative project I can do at my own table in MY house. Thanks for stopping by my blog

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  16. Aces! Will have to try this today! But first I will have to eat an entire box of cereal. No worries, I can do that. I have that same box of cereal! Little Gremlin loves The English Family Anderson. And to make models, so we have glue and paint.
    Thanks for the idea! I hope our bus looks like your bus.

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  17. First, … V., as much as I adore you and your Web site . . . you really do need to get out more. 😉

    Second, the video is wonderful/hilarious. Also, the most relaxing thing I’ve seen/watched/done in some time. How weird is that? And his mom! “You really need to pick up your room because someone is coming over and they can’t see it that way . . . ” or…. whatever she said . . . too funny!

    Lastly, what ogre gave that adorable child a thumb’s down for the video? Harsh . . . 😀

    So, of course, I love the gluten-free bus . . . you’re so very clever

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    • First, I have to tell you, I went out on Monday so that’ll do for this week 😉 and second, and more importantly, thank you for your adoration 😀 I agree with you 100% about this brilliant little boy’s wonderful video – love it! Thank you for your comment 😀

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