How to Build an Indoor Play Area for Your Child
Empty box
Small Pine tree twigs
Pinecones
Brown lead free paint
10" square piece of Wrapping paper
More Elmer's glue!
This was, without a doubt, the most work. We spent a couple hours in the woods collecting most of our materials, and made a trip to town for more Elmer's glue!
Find an empty box with folding flaps that will be a good size for your log cabin. Being careful not to remove the two longest flaps, which will be at the front and back of the cabin, cut two windows out of the front, also cut a door. Cut the door on three sides only, so that it will still swing shut. Paint the door brown.
On the back side of the box, being careful again not to cut to close to the top flaps, cut the back of the box out so that they can get their little people inside the log cabin.
Remove the two smallest flaps from the box, and tape the top longer flaps together in a V to form the roof.
Measure the length of the sides of your cabin, and break the twigs into logs. Then glue them, one at a time, to the sides of the box, bottom to top, until you have covered the three remaining sides.
Now, this is the fun part, and I promise it is messy. Separate all of the little seed things on the pinecones. Tear each one off carefully. Use these for the shingles and cover the flaps with rows, from bottom to top. Glue a row along the top, over lapping each to form the ridge vent. I promise you that your fingers will be black with pinesap, but the effect you get from using the pinecones is really cool.
I used the piece of wrapping paper by cutting it in half and folding it accordion like. Then I glued it from the inside over the two windows for curtains.
This is as far as I have gotten on our play board. We add to it all the time whenever we see things that would "be cool on the play board".
This sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't and it was such fun putting it al together. It was a great "do it together" project, and will be something that stays around for a very long time. If you decide to try this, please come back and let us know in the comment section below. If you have any ideas I didn't think of, leave us a comment and tell us!
Please leave me a comment in the comment space provided below and tell me what you think of this How-To-Series.
If you would like more photos, leave a comment below and I will be happy to email photos to you.
Published by Beth Inman
One of Y!CN's top writers, I lead a very busy life, but am learning to take time to do the things I like to do... for me. One of those things is to write. View profile
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4 Comments
Post a CommentFOR PART FOUR OF THIS SERIES - BUILDINGS / CASTLE:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/603369/indoor_play_board_part_four_buildings.html
FOR PART THREE OF THE SERIES- PLACING THE FOLIAGE ON YOUR ACTIVITY BOARD:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/603415/indoor_play_area_board_part_three_foliage.html
FOR PART TWO OF THE SERIES-OUTLAY / ROADS / PONDS:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/603443/indoor_play_board_part_two_lay_out.html
FOR PART ONE OF THE SERIES-CHOOSING AND PREPARING THE BOARD FOR YOUR ACTIVITY BOARD:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/603471/building_an_indoor_play_area_board.html