Making a den

[sarah707]

I have recently made some unused space in the playroom into a den for the children.

I thought I would share the process I went through to get it up and running with you...

I have posted about it on the latest entry to my blog and added a photo.

I am really proud of what has been achieved with very little money and a bit of imagination :D

http://knutsfordchildminding.blogspot.com/2010/02/making-den.html

[miffy]

Oooooo - have you been on the Elizabeth Jarman "Communication Friendly Spaces" course?:D

Looks great, Sarah :thumbsup:

Miffy xx

[Twinkles]

I love it Sarah ! What a good idea :thumbsup: It's interesting to note how the different children use it too.

[sarah707]

Oooooo - have you been on the Elizabeth Jarman "Communication Friendly Spaces" course?:D

Looks great, Sarah :thumbsup:

Miffy xx

Not as such... there was a very interesting snippet from them at that conference I did earlier in the year and I have read their booklet for childminders which inspired too.

This is intended more as a cosy space for one than particularly communication friendly though because it's so small... :D

[Blaze]

Not as such... there was a very interesting snippet from them at that conference I did earlier in the year and I have read their booklet for childminders which inspired too.

This is intended more as a cosy space for one than particularly communication friendly though because it's so small... :D

& you should rightly be proud:thumbsup:

...0ut of interest where can I get hold of a copy of her booklet for childminders? x

[sarah707]

& you should rightly be proud:thumbsup:

...0ut of interest where can I get hold of a copy of her booklet for childminders? x

http://www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk/store/ :D

[nell57]

:clapping: looks fab

I'm going on a course that incorporates den making in March, which I'm really looking forward to:)

[FussyElmo]

:clapping: looks fab

I'm going on a course that incorporates den making in March, which I'm really looking forward to:)

the one at the moat house?

[beccas]

just ordered oneof these

[nell57]

the one at the moat house?

Yes are you?

I'm doing den making for the morning, then outdoors on a budget (think thats the title) for the aftrenoon. Not many minders I know are intersted in going, but I'm looking forward to it:)

[FussyElmo]

Yes are you?

I'm doing den making for the morning, then outdoors on a budget (think thats the title) for the aftrenoon. Not many minders I know are intersted in going, but I'm looking forward to it:)

Snap doing exactly the same. Great minds and all that cant wait :clapping:

[Blaze]

http://www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk/store/ :D

Thanks:thumbsup:

Don't forget to add the den details to your SEF!

[nannysue]

It looks fab, well done ..... i bet they have all had such fun with their new den !!:clapping:

[ORKSIE]

That looks lovely and snuggly:clapping: :clapping:

[MarpleJollytots]

OOOOw that looks great ! Can i come round ? I could get quiet cozy in there with a bar of chocolate and a glass of wine !!!I love dens. I used to peg my mums sheets all around the house attached to anything and everything so the whole room looked like a great big tent.Then i would fill it with cushions and soft toys and have a picnic in there.

[linda2girls]

What a great idea, much better than under a table.

Linda.

[Ripeberry]

I love making dens :) I used to live in the woods in the summer and just spend ages making wooden frames then using loads of bracken to thatch my home for the summer (I did go home in the evenings).
We made a den today, by pushing the sofa away from the window and draping the curtains over it and putting a blanket at one end. The kids had loads of fun.
Best thing of all, a big cardboard box :D

[MarpleJollytots]

One day in a nursery i worked in we took all the toys out of the room,ALL of them !!! We filled the room with cardboard boxes. Huge ones,small ones different depths etc etc.We rang the nearby Asda and they said we could go and help ourselves. You should of seen the childrens faces !!!!!! They were baffled at first,but the imaginative play that came from such a simple idea was fantastic.We spent two hours just 'Pretending'.:clapping:

[sarah707]

OOOOw that looks great ! Can i come round ?

Yes of course you can the kettle is on :D

[sweets]

i made a den under my table yesterday, havnt done one for ages so i thought the children would really like it, but they didn't! i got the cooking stuff out and suggested they made a picnic under there with the teddies. which they did for about 10 mins then that was it :( they are a boy 4 and a girl 2.5 and seem to have lost thier imagination to play:(

[Polly2]

Looks fab Sarah :clapping: I got some great photos of my lot making a bed yesterday!! Sooo funny :D

[mama2three]

my 'den space' , under the dining table is currently space! they took in the spaceship and astronauts to play with , then we made some tinfoil stars and some xmas star lights in too. My only problem is it cant be 'ongoing' as i need to clear away each night and set up each morning.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

What a lovely idea - I like the fact that it is play in progression and you are changing and watching it. I have my soft play out this morning and have just put boxes out to see what the children want.

Thanks for the idea

[estrelas]

Looks great Sarah :)

[Ripeberry]

Big boxes are good for older kids as well. When my brother was 6yrs old and I was 8yrs old, we had a big washing machine box and we made a door, a window and drew some buttons on the inside and lots of other things and it was our spaceship that summer :)

[Joannechildmind]

That is great, we often make a den from a sheet and the clothes airer :laughing: kids love it and play inside for ages, we had lunch in it yesterday too:thumbsup:

[Graham]

What a great idea Sarah, thanks for sharing, we have got a space in our playroom that is just the job for a den, kids love making and playing in dens, I know I always did as a youngster. I can JUST remember that far back.:laughing:

[jojane]

looks great but reading the blog one thing i noticed was you said the netting was held in place by the computer monitors??? how secure is this ie if it gets pulled will the monitors move/fall over?? just thinking about safety as well as the cost of replacing a broken monitor!

[Blaze]

JoJane you will learn that Sarah is the queen of paperwork - so am sure she has it fully RA'd!:thumbsup:

[jojane]

i dont mean to imply anything:blush:

[Blaze]

I didn't mean to imply that you did!:blush: ....:D

[sarah707]

looks great but reading the blog one thing i noticed was you said the netting was held in place by the computer monitors??? how secure is this ie if it gets pulled will the monitors move/fall over?? just thinking about safety as well as the cost of replacing a broken monitor!

Thank you for your concern that is a good point!

It is just tucked at the very edge under the 2 monitors.

It is fully risk assessed :laughing: and because it is a silky material it will just slide out before it pulls anything over.

We tried a couple of ways including tying it to the book cases but decided it was best draped this way because I have a couple of older children who might well strangle themselves if it was secured in place :rolleyes:

It's still a hit! The baby had his treasure basket in there for ages yesterday, away from marauding toddlers :D

[SandCastles]

What a great imagination you have, I cannot see anything in my room that can be made into a den, (light in brain has just popped on!!!) but I can always put my beach tent up and put some resources inside, I can see the lo through the mesh roof, but they may not see me. ideal, you have inspired me to think about more rainy day activities in doors.

[Daisy1956]

i did the Elizabeth Jarman Communication Friendly Places course- it was very informative, great fun and has made me look at the areas around my home differently. I would recommend it to everyone. Clothes pegs are a great way of holding things together also viole curtains (you can then see whats going on without the children being aware) are a cheap and readily available:)