Kids Playhouse Blog

Blending favorites and a kids playhouse are a super way to ensure that your child will have a blast when he or she has playtime. Your little one will feel like their world has been transformed when you work together to turn their playhouse into a storybook adventure featuring their absolute favorite book and its characters! You may be wondering how you can pull off such a metamorphosis without too much stress and/or money. It can be done by using a few simple, and inexpensive, decorating tricks.

Here’s how you can turn that kids playhouse into a marvelous dream:

Choose the main scene that your child loves from their favorite book. Let this scene dictate the color of the kids playhouse walls. If it’s a walk in the park, then opt for sky colored walls or forest green to represent the trees in the park. If it’s a scene that takes place high atop a building, you may choose colors such as steel gray or brick red.

After selecting the wall colors, you may decide to actually recreate that scene with photos, drawings, or decals. Consider bringing the scene to life with decals that help the image to “pop”. If you can’t find the specific elements that you may need such as buildings, trees, or even candy, you can use other general design elements to make them.  For instance, to make clouds on the kids playhouse wall, you could use pure white decals from a cheap dollar store decal set that can be cut to look like clouds.  For something silly like foot prints, use blank brightly colored dollar store decals that you can mix and match, and cut to look like big feet!

Set up an area in the kids playhouse where your child can dress up like his or her favorite character from the book. The experience wouldn’t be the same without being able to look like the people or things from the book!

Have an area of the kids playhouse, potentially the loft area, where you stencil or type out words and passages from the book. This will serve to encourage your child to read also! This would also be a fantastic place to have a book nook if their favorite book is a part of a series.

Your family’s kids playhouse will be the ultimate play station for your little one when you decorate it so that their favorite book becomes real for him or her. Your little one is likely to be the envy of the kid set with such a cool place to have fun. Plus, just think of how excited your child will be about reading even more!

Technorati Tags: Kids Playhouse, Kids playhouse design, kids playhouse ideas, Reading

I loved that this kids playhouse was based on a Japanese wooden tea house theme.  It has a wonderful open concept with many details like a small circle window that acts as a sun dial, a wooden porch-like base that could be transformed into a stage area for plays, decorative lattice work and a small open door way for children to go in and out of the playhouse.

Outside the playhouse, the owner put in a rock garden and a wandering path for a serene and calming effect.

This Japanese-inspired kids playhouse was built with love by Jill for her two daughters.  Great job Jill!

Technorati Tags: Japanese playhouse, Kids Playhouse, kids playhouse ideas, wooden playhouse

Taking a kids playhouse from a simple fun hut to a place where your budding prima ballerina can practice is as easy as a putting on a tutu. Your little dancer will be able to hone her skills by leaps and bounds while still being able to have a good time with friends in her own little playhouse dance studio. Just setting that space aside for her will also make her one of the happiest little two-steppers that you have ever met. Here’s how you can create an amazing space for her:

You will need more than one barre, which is the railing type of equipment that dancers use for stretching, balancing, and dancing around. Consider placing one on an interior wall and also to have a free-standing one that she can move from one spot to the next, or even outside. If you are unable to find a “professional grade” ballet barre, then simply buy a railing from your local home improvement store and affix it to the wall! For effect, paint it pink.

She will need mats for stretching and comfort. While a hardwood floor or tiled floor works best for dancing, having soft yoga-type mats can make her time stretching a little less rough.

Keep her kids playhouse dance studio stocked with drinks including water and low- or no-sugar sports drinks. If she is going to dance a lot, she will need to stay hydrated. Why have it where she has to walk all the way to your house to drink? Just give her a little cooler and she will feel fantastic.

Mirrors are a must for a dancer. Not just to see themselves smiling, but to see themselves smiling and to fix or really enjoy their dance moves. You may want to tile a wall with small mirrors that have rounded edges if you are unable to find one large wall mirror. You may be able to find a mirror for cheap at your local thrift store or a garage sale.

Your daughter’s kids playhouse dance studio will need to be outfitted with music equipment, even if it’s just an iPod with speakers or a laptop. To encourage your little ballerina to really do her best, you may want to have a space with different types of dance and ballet gear that she can mix and match. Having her own studio will be a wonderful experience and the long term benefits could end up being “tutu” phenomenal!

Technorati Tags: Ballet, Dancing, Kids Playhouse

How can your child’s kids playhouse be morphed into one of the coolest, most amazing, most action packed fun centers in the universe? By filling it to the gills with super heroes, of course! Everything in it should have some type of “force field” glow, a power port, kryptonite, or web blaster to it. But, how can you meld all of these figures together to create a space that won’t overpower your little one?

Try a few of these strategies for maxing out the super hero décor in your kids playhouse:

Place super hero decals on the walls in a pattern, and not just randomly to get a color flow going. They don’t have to be all of the same characters, but a possible look may be a pattern that features a red hero, a blue villain, and then a black hero, repeat. This will give the space a cleaner look and things won’t seem so hodge podge.

Pick a rug that either has the look of a shield or star, which are indicative of a super hero’s cavern. Select a color that will hide dirt, because you know little boys can get pretty dirty and, in all honesty, that’s one of the best parts about being one. If you opt for a hardwood or tile floor, be sure to offer a few scattered rugs so that the space doesn’t seem too cold and hard.

Have fun with the window treatments! Once again, the outdoor playhouse will benefit from a bevy of stars, which can symbolize some type of super power. Make the window treatments big stars! Simply cut out a piece of bright yellow fabric or felt. Glue it onto a plain or super hero patterned fabric panel. Hang and watch your child’s eye light up! Another option for the window treatments is to add glittery or shimmery fabric paint or sequins.

Give your kids playhouse the feel of a hero’s welcome for your little super kid! A few flashy features, some pictures of their favorites, and space for them to run, jump, and get the bad guys is all that your child will need to have a fantastic time. Saving the planet has never been easier!

Technorati Tags: Kids Playhouse, Super heros

Wow, just when you think you’ve seen it all, a $52,000 luxury pirate’s kids playhouse from Posh Tots comes along to prove you wrong.

This playhouse is handcrafted and comes with a captain’s quarter that can seat 3-4 adults on the faux leather-cushioned benches which can also be used as sleeping bunks for sleepovers, lower and upper decks and a crow’s nest lookout.  Additionally, there are peepholes, numerous windows, an ornate and decorative helm and rudder, and a mast and rigging.

The pirate ship is made out of mahogany, poplar and Douglas fir.  You have to see the pictures.  How could any kid not want a kids playhouse like this one?

Technorati Tags: Kids Playhouse, kids playhouse ideas, luxury playhouse, Pirate

Did you  know a kids playhouse can be decorated with butterflies to suit any butterfly-loving little girl or boy?! In fact, butterflies are very gender neutral and are easily adapted for boys or girls when it comes to using them to make a play space more personalized and fun. When most people think of butterflies, they only consider its use for “girly girl” type of designs, but that is not the only way to accessorize with them. Check out these really cool ways to deck out a kids playhouse with these wonderful winged creatures:

For boys: Select butterflies that are true to life to create a very natural look for the kids playhouse. Your playhouse walls can pop in 3-D by adding those “life like” butterflies to the wall. It will look as if the butterflies are hanging out with your little boy in his playhouse. To make it blend even more, paint the lower half of the wall to look like tall grass and fields. Then, stick those funky butterflies to the walls.

Use colors of brown, tan, green, gold, and blue to give the kids playhouse a more masculine look. Set up an area where he can do some scientific investigations with real butterflies that includes a microscope and bug boxes for capturing butterflies. He will need a net and possibly even a camera.

For girls: Let pink and purple butterflies charge their way into her kids playhouse. There are so many fun and abstract butterfly decal sets that you won’t have to paint the butterflies on the wall yourself because you will be able to find a set at places such as the local dollar store. Go for really cool butterfly inspired curtains, rugs, knob and door pulls. Get really creative and let some sparkly butterflies hang down from the ceiling to look as if they are flying and flitting around the room.

Your girl will need her own butterfly wings, of course. Set up a dress up area where she can change into her butterfly costume. You may be able to find wings and a more elaborate costume at your local thrift store or at a yard sale, or you could always make her a set using your own creativity and craft skills.

Butterflies will make any kids playhouse a beautiful sanctuary for play, research, or just for admiring these graceful insects. Your child, whether it’s a boy or girl, can have a fantastic butterfly inspired kids playhouse. Just be creative, choose colors that are more suited to your child, and watch as hours just fly by because your kids will be having the time of their lives!

Technorati Tags: Butterfly theme, Kids Playhouse, kids playhouse ideas

As parents we’re busy and there are times when we need an extra thirty minutes of uninterrupted adult time where we have to absolutely address a task.   One secret I have used successfully to getting an extra thirty minutes is to set up a tea party for my daughter and a friend in my daughter’s kids playhouse.

I get my daughter involved by having her put her tea set on a tray.  Then she and her friend select the tea party snacks.  Most of the time it’s a choice from gold fish crackers, popcorn, cheese slices, carrots and dip, or strawberries.   Great finger food and small enough to fit on the tea part plates.  Then the choice of drink is made from 100% juice, Kool-aid or lemonade.  Lastly, the napkins and small stirring spoons are placed on the tray before the tray is taken to the kids playhouse.

The girls love the treats and have so much creative fun pretending to have a tea party.  While they are having fun, I can get uninterrupted phone calls made setting up doctor or dentist appointments, paying bills or popping dinner in the oven.

Once I’m done, I’m able to enjoy a cup ‘o tea with the kids in the kids playhouse!

Technorati Tags: Kids Playhouse, Parenting tips

Since when did a kids playhouse become the hottest, coolest fashion boutique in the area? Since you and your children added flair, along with plenty of fun clothes and accessories to your child’s beloved play place. It doesn’t have to be expensive to set up. Your little fashionista and her friends will be the best dressed kids on the block, and they will have a ball doing it!

Try these strategies for filling your little one’s kids playhouse fashion boutique with fab finds:

Make trips to the thrift store a weekly event. Your child will love going out shopping and buying wild, exciting, and “new” clothes. Set a low budget and let her pick one or two pieces. If your thrift store has discount days, then, shop during those times for even more deals. Often, you can find items for a dollar or less!

Ask people you know for clothes. Women generally have lots of clothing and accessories. It shouldn’t be a problem getting a few female friends to “donate” to the boutique. In fact, you may end up with TOO MUCH!

Keep the selections fresh. Your child’s kids playhouse does not have a limitless area to work with, so, you need to constantly discard things that your child no longer wants in the boutique. These clothes can be donated to local animal shelters or other places where they recycle them or resell them to help local non-profit programs.

Give your child and her friends some play money to work with. This will encourage them to practice counting and get them used to handling money. Before you know it, your little girl could end up being an ace cashier!

Provide a few totes, shelves, and racks for displaying and storing the items that your child keeps in her kids playhouse. Also, look for really cool displays like mannequin parts or hat racks.

Don’t limit the kids playhouse boutique offerings as you may not understand how your child uses different things in the name of fashion. You may be surprised what your little fashionista can do with silk flowers, old hats, gems, and junk jewelry. Just think…this first venture into fashion could lead your child into a world of amazing adventures and creativity.

Technorati Tags: Fashion, Kids fashion boutique, Kids Playhouse

Your family’s kids playhouse is an ideal place for your budding veterinarian to begin his or her career. Children love demonstrating the type of care and love that they can give, to people and to animals. It may not have been your original intent when you purchased your child’s kids playhouse, but seeing your little one use it for such an altruistic activity will make you feel great.

If your child has a deep love for helping animals, here are some ideas for assisting your little one with his or her “life’s work” as a veterinarian and running their first pet hospital.

Give your child a ton of bandages! They will want to stick bandages all over every possible “boo boo” that their patients will have. From shark bites to fleas, if your little vet wants to make their patient feel better, they will most likely want to put a bandage on the place that’s causing the pain. So, go to the dollar store and stock up. You will probably be able to get a box of about 100 different size bandages for only one dollar!

Be sure to provide him or her with a table and chairs for their waiting room and examination area. Their “patients” will need a place to sit while they wait to be seen with their animal friends. A small table, whether it’s a fold up card style table or a kid-sized butcher block table which works phenomenally in a kids playhouse, your child will love being able to lay his or her patient out on the table for their exam, and for completing “paperwork”.

Supply your little vet with a doctor kit that contains the basics like a stethoscope and pretend needle. If you can’t find one of those toys kits for a good price, go online to a site like eBay and try to find a used one for cheap.

Decorate the kids playhouse with lots of health related or animal inspired décor. Your child could have a menagerie of animals all over the walls and doors, or your little one may opt for health inspired stuff like nurses hats, bandages, and ambulances.

Provide plenty of stuffed animals to your child. If he or she doesn’t have a lot, then, you should canvass your local thrift store or area garage sales.

Also, keep your family’s kids playhouse stocked full of books about animals and their health so that your child can actually learn as they play.

Turning their kids playhouse into a veteranian’s office can be done very cheaply and simply. The important thing to remember is that the space needs to be just right for your future doctor as he or she does the legwork to begin building their “practice”!

Technorati Tags: Kids Playhouse, Pet hospital, Stuffed animals, Veterinarian