Indoor Camping Trip

On those long winter days, when my brothers and I were suffering from acute cabin fever, mom brought out the old comforter and let the fun begin. We draped it over the back of the couch then pulled some kitchen chairs in to hold up the other side. Voila! Our tent was built and we were ready for camping. Sometimes mom even lit a fire in the fireplace to add another element of atmosphere to our play. Just a simple snack to tide us over at our campsite and we were transported far away from the cold howling winds outside. Under that old comforter we “visited” everywhere from Alaska to Africa. We fished in mountain streams with yardsticks and we went on safari for elephants out in the Serengeti. Suddenly the afternoon had passed in a most pleasant way and we were begging her to let us leave our wonderful camp until tomorrow.

The only downside of our great camping adventures was trying to keep our “tent” secured to the couch and the chairs. We spent quite a bit of time re-draping it and trying to secure the edges. What reminded me of this is a product we started to carry last year – the Fortamajig . This clever toy consists of a large piece of rip stop nylon with lots of loops to secure it to chairs, trees, doorknobs or whatever is handy. It also has a door, a mesh window and even corner pockets for storage. Since it’s washable it can go outside for year-round tent building fun.

Kids love a little “house” of their own whether it’s under an old quilt, inside an appliance box or with a versatile toy like the Fortamajig . Add a snack, maybe trail mix or granola bars, a canteen or a travel bottle of water and send your kid on a “vacation” that they create. It’s an ingenious way to turn a rainy afternoon into an adventure.