Easy 5-Minute Play Fort
Kid-Friendly Solutions, Family Fun Ideas, Games July 16th, 2007
Nothing can push your mothering creativity like the long days of summer. When I hear my son start quoting air freshener commercials I know it’s time to shut off the TV and force a little good-ol-fashioned fort making.
I wasn’t up for destroying the living room, so we used a corner of a bedroom instead. First, we rearranged the furniture to create a nook. We used bookcases, but kitchen chairs or dressers would work too. Next, I grabbed a spare twin sheet from under my son’s mattress (thanks for the comment on that, by the way).
The big problem with your average blanket fort is all the slippage. To keep the blankets in place, I grabbed a few adhesive hooks from the junk drawer. I used 3M Command Adhesive because they’re easy to remove and reposition. I placed the hooks on the wall above the nook and on the bookcases. Then, I used simple binder clips to grab the sheet and hook it to the walls and furniture.
Over the last four days the fort has been well-used. It’s been a circus tent, a makeover salon, and a transformer hideout. The hooks are still holding strong and I haven’t heard about the wonders of ‘Air Wick Freshmatic Minis’ in days. That’s a win-win for me. Just thought I’d pass it on.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:18 am
I LOVED making forts growing up, and we would spend hours playing in them. I love your solution for the slippage - thanks for sharing!
July 17th, 2007 at 7:49 am
I LOVE this idea!! The kids are always tearing up the LR and den, stealing all the cushions and throw blankets! This is great - I’ll definitely build them something somewhere else
and reclaim my living space!
July 20th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Great idea to use hooks and a corner!
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Fantastic! I love Command It’s and use them all over the house. I think I’m obsessed actually and now I’m off to build a fort
Laura
October 6th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Thank you for sharing!