Regardless of your age there’s nothing better than creating a special cosy space in which to hide away from the world for a while, Be it a den built from sofa cushions, a fort built using foraged branches or a ready made pop up tent, creating a fort and personalising the space is an activity that will excite even the most sensible adults everywhere!
I have treasured memories from my childhood of using the cushions from the sofa, my Mum’s pouffe and a whole host of sheets and blankets to create an array of dens that allowed me to wiggle inside and read stories with the aid of my trusty torch. Likewise my children have always enjoyed using their imaginations to make spaceships, tree houses and boats to name but a few simply using the resources we have at home. Fort building is one of life’s simple pleasures that doesn’t require a device or screen, just a spark of imagination and creativity and even the unexpected everyday item can become something wonderful.
On 29th August bed and furniture company Time4Sleep will be in Leeds attempting to break the current World Record for the biggest blanket fort and with this in mind they challenged us to build our own fort at home. To help us get started they kindly sent us a huge box of goodies to help create our own special space. Our box included:
- Two single bed sheets
- Fairy Lights
- Bunting
- A torch
- Wooden dolly pegs
- An iPad/device stand
- Popping corn
- Popcorn Boxes
- A chalk board sign
- Fairy Lights
- A blanket fort book for inspiration
Originally we had planned to create our fort with the help of the washing line outside, however the wonderful Cumbrian weather had other ideas so we decided to create something indoors. Before starting we of course had to do some planning and with so many of us wanting to squish inside decided that our dining room table offered the perfect solution.
With a little help from the dining room chairs we managed to create a rather grand entrance to our hideout using the single sheets to keep the chairs covered. This meant we used a king size duvet to help us disguise the table and offer that all important darkness inside.
On to decoration next, and Leo really enjoyed drawing smiley faces on the colourful card bunting before threading them carefully onto string ready to hang – unfortunately he had drawn them upside down but they still made a fantastic pattern regardless! We strung both the bunting and fairy lights across the entrance and used the pegs to secure them in place, giving our den that wonderful welcoming feel.
Inside the tent we used some jigsaw foam pieces we already had to give the floor of our fort a softer feel and finished it off with a whole host of blankets and of course a few cuddly friends were required to join the party! Last but not least I dusted off the under utilised popcorn machine that has been languishing at the back of the kitchen cupboard for years and made some yummy popcorn to enjoy snuggled up together.
We spent a fabulous rainy Summer afternoon playing, chatting and eating treats inside our newly created fort and we all thoroughly enjoyed it! The best part is we still have all the equipment packed away for next time and are looking forward to creating something completely different – although more popping corn and treats will be required!
Fraser’s Fun House 
I have many happy memories of making forts with my kids, using couch cushions, blankets and coffee tables!
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It’s one of lifes simple pleasures isn’t it!
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