Kids Playhouse Blog

Pirates are popular with children and turning a kids playhouse into a pirate’s hideout cove is easy to do.  There are plenty of pirate movies and engrossing books like “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers” that kids have a hard time putting down.  So, bring that trend to your family’s kids playhouse!

Try these awesome tips to bring the playhouse up to p-AARRHH:

1. Add a telescope to the window ledge or porch railing of the kids playhouse. For any sea-faring pirate, a telescope is a necessity. Imagine all the foreign lands your child will see! Of course, don’t forget watching out for approaching pirate ships or spying on others that may be after their treasure chest.

2. Fill up treasure chests in and around the kids playhouse. Pirate costumes and plastic or foam swords can fill up one treasure chest while another may be used as a drink or snack container. To create a drink container “treasure chest” purchase one of those foam travel chests from a local dollar store. Together, with your child, paint it and embellish to look like a real treasure chest. Fill it with ice, drinks, and fruit snacks! Of course, you can’t forget about having a treasure chest that holds all of the real “treasures”. Your child may get really creative and keep their favorite books, games, or trinkets in the treasure chest or they may go the more traditional route and keep fake jewelry, golden coins, and dazzling crowns.

3. A flag pole and pirate flag readily transforms a kids playhouse into a fierce and mighty pirate strong-hold. You can purchase a ready-made pirate flag or you can make one. Making a pirate’s flag is simple. Purchase an inexpensive black pillow and some white felt. Cut the pillowcase down to the desired flag size. From the white felt, cut out a skull and cross bones and glue it to both sides of the black pillow case. Now, string it up the flag pole and everyone will know to beware of pirates!

Your little pirate’s kids playhouse could be the talk of the neighborhood.  You may even want to provide a water slide or water sprayer on the outside for those that have to “walk to the plank”. Have fun with it and let your children be as “arrhh-tistic” about it as they would like.

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Your kids playhouse could be the nucleus of a wildly cool neighborhood carnival. Using your child’s playhouse is naturally a fab place for holding such a fun event because everything is kid-sized and easily accessed. There are so many different activities that you could do to make this colorful event happen in your area. It takes a little prep work, but the end result will be a memory that lasts a lifetime. Here’s how to get the fun started:

Decorate the kids playhouse for the occasion. Use lots of balloons, streamers, banners to identify each game, and ribbon. The more festive it looks, the more the kids will want to stay around and play. Be prepared to use the area around the wooden playhouse also.

Along with your children, select activities that will keep kids excited and engaged. You may want to set the spaces up as stations. Some ideas for games include silly games like having kids eat fruit from a string while blindfolded, fishing for ducks or plastic fish in a little swimming pool, or using a water gun to shoot an empty can off of a ledge.

Dress up for the carnival. Whether you don a clown outfit or a master of ceremonies type of get up, the kids will love it! You may even want to have a station where the kids can get dressed up or get their face painted. Face painting takes a little while to do and could really work well in the loft area of a wooden playhouse.

Set up food stations. Kids love cotton candy and popcorn. One of the windows of the wooden playhouse can be transformed into a concession stand. This will be an event favorite for sure.

Your kids playhouse could be the stage for the best neighborhood kids carnival ever! Don’t forget to post signs and to enlist other neighbors. You may be able to get some people to donate their time or possibly even some prizes!

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When is a kids playhouse not a playhouse for kids? It’s when the playhouse is built in the tree tops and is used specifically for adults and families looking to unplug and get away from the constant running around, overwhelming work stresses, and distractions of every day life to experience the great outdoors in a unique and memorable way.

Playhouses and tree houses aren’t just for kids. They can be unique get-aways for adults and family members. There are several tree house resorts that cater to people who want a memorable outdoor experience. These tree house resorts move beyond the generalization of the Swiss Family Robinson.

These tree houses don’t require you to rough it, which most families will appreciate, while enjoying a tranquil and rustic outdoors adventure.

If you are in the upper northwest, there are two tree house resorts that are located in the Cave Junction, Oregon area and a third in central Washington, near Mount Rainier. The first is the Out ’n’ About Treesort with 10 different tree houses. The tree houses range from small and cozy to almost grandiose with a tree house suite including a kitchenette.

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There are two story tree houses with an observation deck or a family complex where the kids and parent tree houses are connected by a swinging bridge. The upper observation tower can be used by all family members for creative kids play, to enjoy the forested mountain view, or for bird watching.

There’s plenty of excitement and uniqueness in getting around the resort using suspension bridges, “Tarzan swings”, and ziplines.

The second resort, Vertical Horizons Treehouse Paradise, offers three tree houses from rustic cottage, enchanted grandeur (The Shiitake), to elegant Tudor-style (The Calypso) with access only via a bridge.

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The final tree house resort, Cedar Creek Treehouse, is upscale and luxurious.  It is nestled in the 200-year old mountainous red cedar forest of central Washington.  It boasts a five story staircase leading to a wondrous tree house.

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The tree house has a kitchen, refrigerator and bathroom. There are breathtaking views of Osborne Mountain and the Sawtooth Ridge Peaks. Getting away from civilization, it makes connecting to nature and all it has to offer easy in this tree house setting.

Although technically a tree house is not a kids playhouse, it will surely capture the imagination of your children and encourage family interactions with each other and with nature enriching, positive and extremely memorable.

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If you’ve ever wanted a Hansel and Gretel or Bavarian-style kids playhouse, this one has all the exterior features that make it Bavarian.  This type of architectural detail includes “square” and “X” patterns on the windows, sides, and doors of buildings.

On the roof line, there are decorative, scrolled and scalloped facia board that have been painted dark brown.  In the video, you can see the detail of the facia board.  The window grills or muntins, as well as the cedar shingles, add another authentic dimension to the Hansel and Gretel theme.

The Bavarian-style playhouse is quite large, 12 foot x 12 foot, and has a high ceiling, close to 12 foot at the peak.  There is an adult-sized door and a total of 6 windows on three sides of the playhouse.  There are no windows at the back of the playhouse.  The light from the windows and the height of the roof give the inside of the playhouse a very spacious, open and pleasant feel.

The kids playhouse is built on a concrete slab, the first playhouse that I have seen with a concrete slab.  The concrete extended out from the front door of the playhouse to form a patio.  The concrete patio is a nice feature for placing kids furniture, using chalk to draw creative art work, or for bouncing balls.

Interestingly enough, the inside of the playhouse was done up as a school house theme where there was a pull down United States map mounted on the back wall and a black chalk board.  There were also two old time kid-sized desks.

The playhouse had already been built and came with the main house of the present owner.  The present owner plans to expand upon the interior school house theme with a school bell, a small teachers desk, and posters of the alphabet and number since kids have so much fun pretending to play school.

This kids playhouse is unique in that it has the authentic Bavarian-themed exterior and, with a twist, the interior of the playhouse is themed as a kids school house.

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Who doesn’t love a tea party especially when it’s held in a kids playhouse?  A tea party in a kids playhouse can be a very memorable “kids only” event.  An event that your child would be happy to hostess and be excited when the big day finally arrives.

To make this an amazing event for your child and her friends, it doesn’t have to be hard to organize, but for best results you should plan it out in advance.  There are invitations to make, a menu to decide, food to prepare, tea to steep, and a formal table to set.

I like to start with the menu which I try to keep as simple as possible.  I also keep in mind what little kids would like to eat versus what an adult would like at a tea party.  That’s why I recommend serving food items in the “mini” form or a smaller portion size.  Food that works well in the “mini” form are:  brownies, slices of lemon pound cake, scones, and sugar cookies.

Finger foods like strawberries, grapes, carrots, celery sticks, and snack mixtures such as trail mix or a blend of gold fish crackers, raisins and M & M’s tend to go over very well with kids.   Small ham and cheese sandwiches or PB and J sandwiches with the crusts removed and cut into fun shapes are also big hits.

Try to avoid foods that are sticky, that can stain, or desserts that are too crumbly.  I also try to stay away from foods with frosting and minimize serving chocolate.  They’re just too messy.  However, because the tea party is in the kids playhouse, it’s not as big an issue as if the tea party were in an adult house.

Kids don’t generally like tea, so pink lemonade, apple cider or fruit-infused teas may be served in place of traditional tea.  Having sugar cubes in a sugar bowl is a fun addition to any tea party.  “One lump or two?” is a qustion that they can playfully ask each other.

For tea sets, if you don’t have real tea cups, saucers and a tea pot, you can scout out local yard sales, flea markets or thrift stores for these items at reasonable and inexpensive prices.  Preferably, you would want to get tea cups that are smaller for little hands.  While you are out looking for these things, you might want to pick up several small spoons used for adding the sugar cubes and stirring the “tea”.

A real linen table cloth and linen napkins make an elegant touch to the kids playhouse and the tea party theme.  When setting the table for tea, I like to use silver flatware, small china plates, tea cups, and saucers as well as the tea pot.  It makes the table formal and grandiose.  The girls really enjoy it because it’s so grown up.

Girls love to dress up and the tea party should be no exception. Ask your young guests to come already dressed up or you can provide a clothes chest that have a variety of dresses, hats, boas, tiaras, high heels, gloves, purses, necklaces and bracelets.  If you are really ambitious, you can have perfumes, hair barrettes and make up available so the little princesses can be Queens for the day.

The invitations are always fun to make and your little girl will love to help out and even design them.  Tea pots or tea cups cut out and decorated with paints and sequins make an eye catching invitation.  Don’t forget to request your guests to come dressed up and to arrive directly to the door of the kids playhouse.

Having the tea party in a kids playhouse will provide the perfect environment for this themed-celebration and an incredibly fun experience for your girl and her friends.

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Playing in a kids playhouse becomes more than just another fun session. Being outdoors and experimenting with the wonders of nature could spark an interest in children with regard to what they may want to pursue for their adult occupations. For some children, the time that they spend in their playhouse and the intentional and unexpected interactions that they will have with bugs, flowers, and our environment may be a springboard for a deeper desire to learn more about our world.

Kids Playhouse Outdoor Play

Here are a few nature based jobs that children may eventually strive to pursue based on the experience that they have through playing and exploring in their outdoor playhouse:

Botanist – From dissecting dandelions to analyzing mud, kids will find all types of ways to interact with nature. This seemingly basic interaction could blossom into a real love of plants and learning about how they grow and affect our lives. In time, this could lead to an interest in the field of botany or horticulture.

Florist – For many children, any “flower” that grows alongside their kids playhouse may be the prettiest flower ever, even if it’s just a weed. Children that notice the beauty in flowers may feel attracted to pursuing floral arranging as a potential job in the future. That little bouquet of pussywillows could be the spark for a budding florist.

Zoologist – Animals are everywhere. When children spend vast amounts of time outdoors, they are exposed to many different animals and life forms. Whether it’s a little earthworm or a bird that has fallen out of a nest, there may be many opportunities for a child to come in close contact with animals. For some children, this will lead to a strong desire to learn to care for them and learn about their habitats.

Playing in a kids playhouse can inspire children to gain a deeper interest in so many nature related fields. From the analytical to the creative, the possibilities are limitless as to how being outdoors will affect them in their long term career choices. What they end up making their life’s work…only time will tell.

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Transforming a kids playhouse into a car lovers haven can happen in a jiffy. Some might think that a car themed playhouse would only be for boys, but in reality, many girls love looking at and playing with toy automobiles. Creating a space that a car buff will both love and feel comfortable in takes combining a few different design elements and accessories. While it can be done as cheaply or as expensive as parents would like, the thing to keep in mind when assisting a child in decorating their playhouse is to let them pick what they like. Above style, their happiness should be your ultimate goal.

Try these easy tips to make the space awesome:

1. Choose car themed light fixtures. From pendants that are wired into the playhouse’s electrical panel to light switch covers, there are so many different car related lighting options. Some auto themed light pendants are like real cars that hang from the ceiling on a “showroom floor” base. These give the space an authentic look that will delight young car lovers every time they enter and flick on the lights in their outdoor playhouse.

2. Look for rugs and furnishings that resonate with automobile detailing. A car shaped throw rug or welcome mat could be the perfect compliment for the floor of the outdoor playhouse. Select something that is very resilient and can hold up to a lot of dirt and play. Another option is a rug that looks like city streets that children can use to “drive” their small play cars on.

3. Make the wall decor phenomenal. Using wall decals is nice and can add a quick splash of color and auto related designs to the wall. But consider taking the look up a notch by including large murals on the inside and outside of the outdoor playhouse. Kid-sized cars can be painted on the walls to look as if there are several cars parked inside or on the sides of the playhouse.

4. Provide the child will real pedal or electric child-sized cars to “drive” around the outside of their kids playhouse. Kids will absolutely love the idea of having a real “car collection” to go along with the small pocket sized cars that they may have on display inside.

Cars can make an outdoor playhouse an auto buff’s favorite place. From light fixtures to real cars that are “parked” around the kids playhouse, kids that are car lovers will have a marvelous time in a well decorated play space that is just for them. Your little car buff today could end up growing into a car collector or race car driver tomorrow!

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Fill up a kids playhouse with a menagerie of six or eight legged insect friends and everyone involved is sure to have a ball! A playhouse makes an ideal gathering spot for a birthday party that has a natural theme such as those involving the world of insects. From ladybugs to wiggly worms, there are so many ways that a parent can incorporate these little colorful arachnids and insects into a party that is fit for your little doodlebugs! Here’s how:

1. Feed your guests lots of “bugs”! This is one of the easiest steps for creating a bug themed party. Provide bowls full of “worms” (gummy worms) and “spider legs” (black licorice bites) for the kids to snack on. You can make another interesting bug food out of celery, dressing, and carrots. Simply shred the carrots into “hairs” or use tiny stick carrots. Dollop dressing in the middle of the celery and place the carrots on it so that they look like legs hanging out. This will make a funky and delicious millipede that guests won’t be able to get enough of. A bug themed cake or cupcakes are a must have for real “authenticity”!

2. Put bugs all on the walls and table! You will need bug themed decorations such as party plates, cups, and balloons. Another option is to make your own bugs out of brown paper bags and chenille stems that can be put onto the walls or hung from the ceiling. Wooden playhouses make a perfect place for setting up a  bevy of bugs. You can even introduce some real life bugs into the fun by having some bugs in a few bug boxes that kids can look at or touch when they are not eating, of course.

3. Put bugs on the guests, in their pockets, and bags! Kids will love having “bugs” stuck to them. You can either get bug stickers and have a contest to see who can wear the most bugs in the shortest amount of time or parents can hide bug stickers all over the wooden playhouses for a fun bug gathering race!

Letting bugs invade a kids playhouse for kids birthday parties will be a lot of fun for the parents that have to come up with creative ways to add in insects and the kids that will have to wear them! Whether they are actually chomping on a worm or putting a bunch on their jeans, the fun will definitely be non-stop and the birthday party will be an event that will be well remembered!

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Imagine trekking into a kids playhouse after enjoying a warm batch of grandmom’s cookies. For a kid, life just doesn’t get much better than that. That’s why it’s so wonderful when grandparents recognize that there are ways to add to their little one’s time away from home during their visits. Some grandparents have found that purchasing a kids playhouse, like the KidKraft Kids Playhouse, can make the time spent in their backyards extra special. Here’s why:

1. After being with adults for an extended period of time, children want and need to get some serious playing in, just to feel like a kid! Often when they are visiting older adults such as grandparents, they may be in an environment with lots of antiques, important mementoes, or just expensive stuff that they are not allowed to touch, or even brush up against. Being able to retreat to a fun place like a kids playhouse makes these types of environments more bearable for a child, and actually gives them even more reason to want to visit again.

2. A kids playhouse is great for sharing moments with grandchildren. Whether grandparents decide to share stories from their own youth when they may have had their own playhouse to creating new worlds and stories with their grandchildren now, the possibilities are endless and the fun could be non-stop! Playing in a playhouse can help the older adult to feel less inhibited and more open for being silly or experiencing things on the child’s level. It could be incredibly refreshing to break away from the rigors of everyday life and get in some light and playful moments with their grandchildren.

Grandparents everywhere love having a kids playhouse in their backyard because it is an integral part of the relationship that they relish with your grandchildren. No matter how the time is spent playing, sharing experiences, or being creative together, there is sure to be plenty of opportunities for everyone to relish and hold on to.

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