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How to Make a Play Set Into a Hideout

While a child's backyard play set provides hours of fun on its own, turning it into a fort adds another dimension of enjoyment. According to child development specialist Dr. Maria Montessori, founder of the international method of education, unstructured play that promotes "make-believe" supports healthy mental and emotional growth. Involve your children in the construction process to engage their problem-solving skills and challenge their physical coordination while igniting their imaginations.

Things You'll Need

2 tarps, 10-by-10-foot, or 1 tarp, 20-by-20-foot, with grommet holes at all four corners
1 pair safety scissors with rounded tips
1 roll duct tape
4 tent stakes
1 ball of twine (about 2 feet for each tent stake)
1 rubber mallet
1 picnic blanket (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Tape the tarps together with the duct tape by overlapping them by a couple of inches along one edge of each tarp. Ask your child to hold the tarps together while you tape them. Turn the newly joined tarps over, continuing the tape to the other side. Hold the tarps down while your child takes a turn taping the seam formed by the two tarps. Cut the tape. (Skip this step if you're using a single tarp.)
- 2
  Hoist the tarp over the top of the play set where the swings attach to a horizontal bar at least 5 feet in width.
- 3
  
  Grommets diminish the potential of a tarp to rip.
  
  Grab one corner of the hanging tarp and have your child grab the other on the same side. Stretch the tarp taut to make one wall of the structure. It should start to look like a tent or A-framed fort.
- 4
  Hammer tent stakes into the grommet holes at the corners of the tarp while your child holds the tarp tight. Use twine to tie the stakes to the grommet holes if the stakes do not fit into them.
- 5
  Repeat this process on the other side of the fort to complete the tent.

Childrens Toys