inspiration for a boring play house!

[TinyTinker]

I am currently trying to add more interest to the garden (on a budget!) have a few ideas I am trying to implement on finding the right resources at the right price :)

Anyway, I have a little tikes plastic play house which is basic and has a fold out small table inside and I have put to plastic chairs inside, but the children don't really go in there and hardly play with it - so instead of getting rid of it, I wondered if anyone could thing of something I could do with it to regain interest? It's quite solid with 2 windows with shutters, but children older than 3 cannot stand upright in it and can only fit 2 children max at a time.

thanks:idea:

[hectors house]

Put a big "playhouse closed" sign on the door - they will soon want to go in it!

How about taking out the chairs and putting some bean bags or cushions in it with a box of books and making it an outdoor reading area.

[lollipop kid]

Put a big "playhouse closed" sign on the door - they will soon want to go in it!

How about taking out the chairs and putting some bean bags or cushions in it with a box of books and making it an outdoor reading area.

Exactly what I was going to suggest! You could even screw a pot lid holder to the inside to make a book rack (see below) and let them take a selection of their chosen books into the playhouse. I've done the same on my plastic playhouse. I also got some recreation mats from the ELC to put inside (and, as they stick out beyond the side, it means my lot can climb safely in and out the window, which they love!). You could also put a doll & doll's bed in there plus some cups/saucers/tea set-type stuff and make it a home corner.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/POT-ORGANISER-HOLDER-KITCHEN-wall/dp/B003VSZ0JO/ref=pd_sxp_f_i

Sites-ELCENGB-Site (http://www.elc.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-ELCENGB-Site/default/Search-Show?q=recreation%20mats)

(For £40 you can get 16 of these, so put 4 in the playhouse and use the rest somewhere else? A much better deal in my book.)

Hope it helps,

L

[FloraDora]

Could you make it a potting shed? On the table put a tray of soil and flowerpots and seeds- use it to store their trowels, garden gloves etc - add a few artificial flowers and a till and it could be a flower shop - put books in with a garden focus - use the chairs outside for a cafe... Garden centre sort of theme? You could visit a garden centre with LO's to get the inspiration. If you put out a trough and make in art and craft pretend flowers you could keep them in there for the children to plant.
I sometimes set up my outdoor kitchen as a perfumery - the little house would be good for this, provide lots of different bottles with screw lids, coloured water and herbs and petals - a few syphons and syringes, they mix and pour forever. Put some french words around and play french music.....
Make it into the 3 bears house....
Use it as the outside washing hands area?
I find if you change the focus of things that are permanent then they get the new incentive to use it and then take their play further.

[TinyTinker]

great ideas ladies! I don't know what's happened to my imagination!:panic:

I would like to add that the age range using this will mainly be just 1 and approaching 3.....and school hols, 4 and 5 year olds only. Inside is waterproof, and we have artificial grass under so not muddy :) I like the idea of making it cosy/comfy, bean bags/cushions, books etc chuck out the plastic chairs :) put pics up in there etc :) (also think the fact that the spiders like the house puts the children off!) so daily extermination required! lol.

Also am going to put up a tent as a permanent feature in the garden - and theme that too - just have to remember to close the thing at the end of the day - as last year we had it up I left it open and the next day the children we soo happy that they had an indoor puddle jumping room to play in! oops

[FloraDora]

great ideas ladies! I don't know what's happened to my imagination!:panic:


Also am going to put up a tent as a permanent feature in the garden - and theme that too - just have to remember to close the thing at the end of the day - as last year we had it up I left it open and the next day the children we soo happy that they had an indoor puddle jumping room to play in! oops

I find the LO's like security, but love new things too...I would put the tent up every so often, not permanent..when it is newly put up they will be curious again, especially if you have added something different inside.

[Maza]

Mine usually like torches and touch lights etc in dens too. Obviously you wouldn't have these out all the time. x

[TinyTinker]

well yesterday we moved the playhouse to the side to put down some foam tiles to go under and disturbed a frog hibernation nest! there was one huge frog and tons of different sized young ones, they all came out and were hopping about! the kids were fascinated! But luckily where it was we were able to leave it and put everything back and I think they are still there :)

Anyway put the foam floor in and then a rug and some cushions and books - they all piled in happy only for one to spot a spider and they all came piling back out and are now saying 'we don't like the playhouse, it has spiders!' Even if I clear them out daily they come back so quickly:rolleyes:

[Maza]

Wow, what an exciting day! Could you do a project on spiders? Or maybe...let the playhouse go if they don't use it anyway. x