My husband and daughter are crazy when it comes to blanket forts. Before our son was born I would come home from a full days work to an extravagant fort. We are talking every piece of furniture rearranged, stand alone baby gates, bean bags, pillows and flashlights throughout the entire thing. With the warm weather fading, the sun going down sooner and chilly nights we have been making some to play rounds of Uno ( a great game to learn numbers and colors for little ones) under. There is just something special about getting snuggled up in a cozy area in the house.
As far as making a blanket fort you really don't need much. We use sheets and blankets from our linen closet, some ingenuity, knowledge of basic structural design and a great imagination. The older sheets that are stretched and faded are great for this. We find our "go-to" structure usually consists of the dinning room table chairs and stools around the house with a broom or swiffer sweeper in the center to hold up the blankets higher than the rest. Books ( text books especially) tend to be great weights to keep the blankets in tact. When I was growing up we would also use my bunk bed at my house and the dining table or desk at my Nana's house.
I am not joking when I say this will keep your kids entertained for the whole day. We once left ours up for a week. It was an eye sore and we were embarrassed to have people over, but hours for a busy toddler well spent. She ate a "picnic lunch" in there, played games, did puzzles, made believe (played house and kitchen) and played hide-and-go-seek. It's worth the hassle I promise!
