Gimme Shelter

Materials:

• Couch
• blankets or large towels
• chairs
• blocks
• red and orange paper
• pot
• Flashlight (optional)

What better cure for cabin fever than having your child build his or her own cabin using the couch and some blankets?

For basic couch cabin construction, have your child stand the cushions on end, leaning against the front of the couch. Adding a blanket for a roof makes the rustic home ready for occupancy. If a bigger cabin for two or more kids is needed, have the troop use chairs as "poles" for hanging blankets or large towels. Also, a couple of small tables set side by side with a blanket or beach towel draped over them make a wonderful tunnel-like entrance that can lead to the "main living area."

Once the shelter is ready, details can be added to the homestead. A circle of blocks with a few sheets of crumpled red and orange paper make an ideal campfire. Larger blocks can serve as rock seats. Suggest using a floor lamp or table leg to tether a weary steed.

If the couch house is big enough for you, you might find that there are lots of advantages to living simply.

More on: Imagination Play

Excerpted from:

© 2005 by Steve and Ruth Bennett. Excerpted from 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities with permission of its publisher, Perseus Books Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.