At Home with Bounty

A little rain doesn't mean you have to cancel that playdate in the park. Just bring the park to you and build an indoor playground in your living room. I made one for my daughter and her playmate one dreary day, and now she wants me to set one up even on days when the sun is shining. Fair warning: Building one will turn your house upside down, but the mess is definitely worth the fun.

Recreating slides and swings wasn't exactly an option, so I had to get a little creative with the activities at our indoor playground. I threw pillows on the floor for hopping stones, set up a tent for a playhouse, made a homemade mini basketball hoop, set up a sandbox and a very messy water table, and even had a sidewalk chalk spot on the kitchen floor. By the end of my daughter's playdate, our whole apartment was a huge mess, but the kids had so much fun, they didn't even mind helping to clean up. Adult supervision required.

What You'll Need:

• Pillows or couch cushions
• A tent (optional)
• Cardboard
• A paper plate
• Tape
• Safety scissors
• A small ball
• Two large plastic tubs
• Uncooked dried beans
• Sand toys
• Bath toys
• Water
• Sidewalk chalk
• Butcher paper
• Masking tape
• Bean bags
• Bounty paper towels

Instructions:

1. Arrange couch cushions or pillows on the floor as stepping stones. The kids can have fun jumping from pillow to pillow, trying not to touch the ground.
2. If you have room, set up a small tent as a playhouse for pretend play.
3. To make your own mini basketball hoop, cut a large hole in the center of a paper plate, leaving just a small outside edge. Cut two small notches in one edge of the plate and fold the resulting flap back. Tape the flap to a cardboard square so that the paper plate ring is perpendicular, creating a hoop. Hang it up and it's ready for play.
4. Fill one large plastic tub with uncooked dried beans and throw in some sand toys to make an indoor sandbox.
5. Fill the other plastic tub with water and bath toys for an indoor water table. Line the floor underneath with Bounty paper towels to absorb some of the inevitable splash.
6. For older kids, you can make an indoor hopscotch court. On non-carpeted floors, lay down masking tape to create the outline of the hopscotch court. Use bean bags as place markers.
7. Tape a large sheet of butcher paper down on the kitchen floor and provide a bucket of sidewalk chalk.
8. Get creative with what you have on hand at home and come up with some fun ideas for an indoor playground of your own.

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