Fun with C-Clamps
Also known as "fun with old blankets"
ADDED July 23, 2009
Length: About 30 minutes. (At my house, though, at least an hour!)
Parental Involvement: Help the kids set up the "forts" with blankets and c-clamps. Keep the kids away from the good linen. And that's it!
Kids Should Be Able to: Build simple "forts" with old blankets.
Today's idea is quite fun and easy, but it's not revolutionary or shockingly innovative. Please don't ask for your money back.
Kids love taking everyday objects and making "forts" that they can crawl into. They also enjoy creating "castles," "palaces," and "houses." (My kids call their version a "gopher home," which I guess makes sense in a way.)
Today, we're encouraging you to make a really fun, really temporary "play structure" with your kids. Here's what you'll need:
• a couple old blankets (we've found a minimum of two works best)
• a place to hang them
• maybe, some C-clamps
Drape the old blankets over some furniture to make a space into which kids can easily and comfortably crawl. The simplest method is to put a blanket onto a table like a table cloth. Voilá! A quick fort for the kids!
Other methods that work nicely: arranging the chairs from the dining room away from the table and covering them with the blankets, or even covering the couch with a blanket. (If the arms of the couch are high enough, this will make a small space in the sitting area for the "fort.")
And, as the title here might suggest, C-clamps work very nicely for this activity. For instance, we have used our C-clamps and "attached" the blankets to door jambs. By dangling an old blanket from the top of the doorway, we make a "door" or "gate." Or a curtain for a "theater." We've also C-clamped a blanket to a bookshelf and to a headboard to create a rather attractive canopy. C-clamps can really add to your options. (And if you're just a little bit careful, they aren't going to hurt kids or furniture.)
This activity certainly works in the backyard (if you don't mind the blankets getting a little dirty.) And it works brilliantly inside the house on a hot day -- it's a great way of beating the summer heat.
Please, please, though -- and I shouldn't have to say this again -- the blanket on my bed is not available to be taken outside and added to your fort! Otherwise, have fun.
| rainy day fun, |
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