We've all seen it a hundred times. A child is given a gift and eagerly rips off the wrapping paper. Their eyes gleam with joy as they gaze at their new toy. The excitement builds as they open the box and begin to play with their new acquisition. After a few minutes the toy is set aside and the cardboard box becomes the "toy" of the moment.

My father always used to say, “Just give a kid a cardboard box and they’ll be happy for hours.” The website foldschool.com has taken the idea of kids and cardboard boxes one step further. It offers three, free do-it-yourself patterns with instructions for turning cardboard into usable children’s furniture.

The furniture design is the brainchild of Swiss architect and designer Nicola Enrico Staubli. His foldschool designs combine functionality and beauty with recycling.

All three patterns recommend 4mm cardboard for the designs. In addition to the cardboard, you will need a few simple tools: a printer, glue, spray adhesive, masking tape, ruler, cutting tool, cutting mat, needle and folding tool.

Remember this is disposable furniture, when it gets old and worn you're going to toss it out. So you can let children decorate it and express their own creativity with crayons, paints, markers, stickers. With the help of Foldschool.com, you can give a kid a cardboard "box" that they can enjoy for the weeks and months to come.

Detailed instructions are provided for all the designs. Follow the instructions carefully. Remember, you’re the builder and it is your responsibility to make sure that the furniture has been assembled properly and safely. If you have any doubt about the stability then throw it out and start again.