Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Fast Cardboard Boat
Call your grocery, department or furniture store and ask for three large cardboard boxes. The boxes in which toilet paper or paper towels are shipped usually are a good size for this, since they are often a 36-inch cube of corrugated cardboard. Stores routinely crush their boxes, but most will be glad to share a few if you ask nicely.
Call your local newspaper or publishing house and ask if they have a publisher's end roll that you can get to obtain a center roller. The newspaper or publishing company may charge a small fee for their end rolls (Joplin Globe in Missouri charges $5.00 to individuals; schools can pick them up for free), but you have the added benefit of getting some big paper for drawing, making patterns or other crafts.
Open up the boxes and join them together. If you are using three corrugated cardboard boxes, open out both ends of one box and one end of two more. Position the boxes with the one opened on both ends in the middle and the ones opened on one end at the opened end of the middle box. Use a sharp knife or pair of scissors to bore a hole in the cardboard and fasten the boxes together using bread ties.
Place the cardboard center of the end roll in a wide-mouthed live Christmas tree stand or build a stand using a piece of plywood and bracing boards. Attach a 3-foot piece of 1-inch by 2-inch wood furring strip across the bottom of the tube. Place this structure in the center of the middle box.
Cut a triangular piece of fabric large enough to reach across the furring strip and stretch it up to the top of the tube. Fasten the fabric to the furring strip and the top of the tube. Use tacks, staples or glue to do this.
Set the step stools in the end boxes to use as seats. Supply the sail boat with snacks and toys.
Outdoor Playhouse
Trace a boat shape on the plywood. Size the boat platform according to the number and age of children who are going to be using the playhouse. Create a 4 1/4-inch by 4 1/4-inch hole in the center of the board to accommodate the mast for the sail.
Level a patch of ground and cover it with pea gravel. Dig a hole in the middle to set up the post to use as the mast. (Bigger boats can have more than one mast.) If the playhouse is going to include climbing or platforms, set the mast in concrete.
Put in concrete blocks or pads of concrete to support the platform. Slide the platform over the pole and settle it on the blocks or pads. Adjust the level as needed.
Add a 2-inch by 4-inch rail around the boat. (You can make a solid plywood wall, if you wish, but curving plywood is a little bit harder than making a rail.) Add platforms, rigging and sails as desired. Be careful to anchor everything securely and cover all bolt ends to avoid snagging clothing or skin.
Add small benches and a waterproof cabinet or box for toys or snack supplies.