Parenting Tip - Recycled Shed becomes Kids Club House

I have one of those cute storage sheds in my backyard that my husband insulated, built shelves in and even put a window AC unit in.  It was to be his workshop.  However, he passed away and never got to use it. So I've been using it for my grandchildren to play in, and they have dubbed it, The Kids Club House".

 This summer I decided to decorate and paint the inside of it in bright fun colors and designs.  I spent hours planning, preparing and painting the inside, knowing that I was really doing it for ME, not them.  They wouldn't appreciate all the time and effort I took.  I stocked it with paper, markers, paint, wood, hammers, nails, and anything recyclable I thought they would have fun creating with.

My goal was to finish it before my daughter's wedding in July--that's when all 20 grandchildren would be here.  I envisioned the creativity that would occur there, the art work, the hammering and building, the fun times with cousins who don't often get to play with each other,because they all live in different states. It's still a work in progress, but I finished up most of the painting I wanted to do.

And guess what?  My dreams of  my grandchildren creating and playing and loving the Kids Club House came true!  Plus they even appreciated all the hard work I did to make it so cute and inviting.

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Hammering with nails and a real hammer was the post popular thing to do.  I read a good idea of having younger children hold the nail in place between the teeth of a comb so they don't hammer their fingers.  It works pretty good.

It was fun to see which of the grandchildren really enjoy creating.  Most of the girls aged 8-12 loved using the hot glue gun (the cooler type) to create dolls, heads, etc with the recycled materials I had.

Other things I put in the clubhouse were combination locks to learn how to unlock, old telephones, and old things from a thrift store to unscrew and take apart.  Another hit was my husband's magnet on a stick that picks up nails and magnets.

All in all, the Kids Club House was and still is a success!

Thanks for reading,

 Cathy

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