Quick, cheap easy no-sew bedroom play fort craft project for bunk beds or school room library corner

Hello my friends of the Omschool! Omschool is a mix-up of Omi (that's me!) which means grandma in Dutch, and homechool! I was a beta homeschool parent in the early 1990s. And now I'm proud to have Gen 2 homeschool grandkids. I was also a teacher for many years. So blog represents a collection of educational ideas put together over the years. On the second to last day of April Earth Month, I'm hauling some old articles I wrote on DIY activities to recycle, repurpose and reuse. I've been thinking a lot about forts and how important they are to kids. We made a cardboard forts a few days ago and today we're making forts in our bedrooms. And if you know me, you'll know these are going to be super cheap and so easy that kids can make them with a little supervision.  

No Sew DIY Play Fort Pattern

You've seen those cute play forts that come attached to a bunk or loft bed. Bunk or loft beds are available for sale with a tent kind of thing that attaches to the top bunk to form a play fort. A pirate ship or princess castle are usual themes. These attached bed forts are usually very expensive and not real well made. You can easily create a super cool no sew DIY play fort /bedroom canopy for your kids' bunk or loft bed. You'll just need with four free or inexpensive supplies. 

• two fabric shower curtains (available at Amazon, Walmart, Family Dollar, Walmart and Dollar General for $10 or less)

• two sets of curtain rings (available from same merchants for a few bucks per package)

• sharp fabric scissors

• duct tape in coordinating color with shower curtain (optional to make windows)

  ✨ Omi's Pro Tip:

  If you're using duct tape to reinforce the windows, try a patterned tape (like polka dots or animal prints). It acts like a built-in "window frame" decoration and saves you a step in the decorating process!

Funny Omi memory

I'll get on with how to make it but first a little walk down memory lane, that may resonate. So we all have that friend who is an outrageously talented, crafty gal. We'll call her "Rose" (you know who you are, milady!) She's a sewing diva, a domestic goddess. She whips up a DIY play fort with her handy, dandy sewing machine. You don't even know where your machine is, let alone the fact that last time you used it you impaled the needle through your thumb and had to go to ER. 

The envy of the neighborhood

Well, this friend made a play fort and it's the envy of the friend circle. It's got cute little windows, a door and probably a jacuzzi and full bar hidden somewhere in its realm. Her kids proudly display their cool new play areas. As your kids cast wistful sidelong glances at them and dirty looks at you. You stand by feeling like a pretty sorry mom who not only has no time, but also zero inclination to make a play fort for her kids' beds.

Be THAT mom and save your thumb

But don't worry, you're not a candidate for "lamest mom of the year". You don't have to be a seamstress. You don't even need to own a sewing machine to make this one. Just take those four supplies mentioned and you're in business. Why you can even get a double duty craft project for the kids out of it. And that's music to any homeschool parent's heart. BOGO household task done with kids occupied plus you get to be the cool mommy! 

💡 Omi's Pro Tip:

When choosing your shower curtains, look for weighted hems. The little magnets or weights at the bottom help the "fort walls" stay straight and prevent them from flapping around when the kids are crawling in and out!

Super easy, quick, cheap, DIY 

As for the design, you can probably follow where I'm going with this shower curtain play fort. Hang the shower curtain from the top bunk or loft, using the curtain hooks. Metal bunk bed frames will have bars that the shower curtain hooks should accommodate. If not, get some of the expandable clip kind. We just bought them four for a dollar at Amazon for my husband's new homebrew room. 

So easy the kids can make it

Hang the other shower curtain at the back of the bunk bed or loft. Push the bed up against the wall and voila your child has a private little snug that took minutes to make.  Using shower curtain with hooks makes it easy for children to open and close the fort as they need to. Often the ready made bunk bed forts have zippers and snaps that break with continual use. Another value added feature. Plus, if you get the kind of shower curtains that are designed like window curtains, all the child has to do is step through. 

Fancy it up if you wish

• To create windows in your fort, cut four square openings like a window frame. Reinforce the window edges with duct tape to prevent fraying. 
• Have kids cut felt flowers and use glue dots to decorate the bottom. 
• Make a tulle net canopy by putting a hook in the ceiling and hanging it. Or use the Command strip idea to avoid marking the ceiling. 
• Label it with paint pens. 
• Or use a plain shower curtain and let kids decorate with their paint pens. This will keep them busy for hours! 

Make it stick

If you want to attach the curtain fort to the sides of the bed, simply stick small pieces of duct tape front and back, along the sides at even intervals. Cut slits through the tape layers to make no-sew buttonholes. Make about six or eight no-sew buttonholes. Using shoelaces, yarn braids, ribbon or any other material you wish, tie the curtain to the bunk bed or loft bed sides. Or even easier, use glue dots to add magnets along the edge. Personally, I just didn't and no one ever missed it. 

🛠️ Omi's Pro Tip:

For a "temporary" fort that doesn't leave marks, use extra-strength Command strips or adhesive Velcro dots to attach the curtain edges to the bed frame. Hang your canopy from one, as well. It’s a great hack for renters or for making the fort easy to take down on laundry day.

With this easy, inexpensive no-sew shower curtain bed fort or canopy, you just may be back in the running for cool mom of the year!

DIY Sand and Water Table alternatives for homeschool and classroom

 Hello fans of my Omschool blog. I've been a licensed general and special education teacher for 37 years and part of my career work was spent homeschooling our four children. Now, I'm Omi--grandma--to 9 going on 11 and am continuing the homeschool traditions I began, with the second generation as Omschool (Omi's school). Lesson plans are designed with cheap to free materials, many of which are reused, repurposed and recycled. 

For today's lesson plans, we'll create a DIY sand and water table for preschool, special education and lower elementary learning centers. This sand table alternative was developed in our homeschool and works well for small spaces. As budgets are usually tight, whether in public, parochial or homeschool, this is a low cost alternative as well. 

Instead of the expensive sand and water table purchased from school supply companies, I've used a repurposed child's sandbox such as the enclosed Little Tikes turtle sandbox or Step 2 brand sandboxes. The turtle sandbox is washable, portable and covered. It moves easily indoors or out. For an even more budget friendly alternative, get a small plastic wading pool. I've found these as cheap as $7 from Dollar General. Inflatable kiddie pools will work too however they aren't as durable. 

The last sand table alternative is a low sided plastic box or tub with lid. This works very well when space is limited. When learning center activities are done, simply close the box with media and manipulatives inside and stack in the storage area. Here's my blog post on homemade sand toys for the sand table. 

These preschool learning center activities worked very well for our homeschool. I could allow the  youngest children to explore independently while instructing the older children. The DIY sand and water table wasn't just for preschool learning center activities either. The older kids could use it to practice and explore mathematical concepts such as measurement, geometry (volume) and science (sing various media). Sand tables provide excellent sensory experiences. More on sand table filler alternatives later! 

I'm sorry I don't have an image of how this sand and water table fit in our homeschool. But let me assure you the even in our tiny 10x10 room, it fit well! I've linked the picture to Amazon. This small reasonably priced Step 2 sandbox would work perfectly. 

DIY nature science detective kit for hands-on science exploration

Looking for back to school activities for kids? Here are nature science lesson plans. Make nature detective kits to explore wildlife science concepts. Use this activity to welcome kids back to school. Kids will love playing nature CSI investigators! Homeschooling parents will love this inexpensive, hands-on science lesson because all ages can participate, from toddler to high school! 

You will need one of each of these items per student:

--large gallon size zipper bag or cheap carry-all bag to store supplies

--plastic magnifying glass (available in bulk at Great Party, Party America or Oriental Trading)

--cheap one-subject notebook

--pocket folder ($.05 -$.15 each from Walmart, Staples, Target)

--plastic disposable gloves (choose latex free; give each student one pair)

--tweezers or cotton swabs (both would be useful, but use cotton swabs to save money)

--3 or 4 specimen bags (snack size Zip-Loc)

--3-4 larger specimen bags (sandwich size Zip-loc)

--sheet of label stickers

--pen and pencil

-- roll of invisible Scotch tape

--several pieces of yarn or string

--box of crayons ($.25 at back-to-school sales)

--measuring tape (Printable-Ruler has a free printable measuring tape )

--free printable animal tracks cards (from Exploration America) Extend these nature science activities for kids into craft projects by having students cut and paste their own flash cards. 

--free printable Animal Signs Guide from US Fisheries and Wildlife www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Animal%20Signs%20Guide.pdf You can download directly from here as a PDF. Check here for more animal tracking printables. 

How to Use Nature Detective Kits:

Make kit assembly part of the lesson. Set out supplies in stations and give students gallon zipper bag and supplies list. This provides experience in counting, sorting and organizing. Using stickers, kids label notebook: Investigator (name)____________ or Detective (name)____________. Label bags: Exhibit A, B, C or Evidence. As evidence is collected, data and date should be added. For example: 'beetle exoskeleton 9-3-2021.

Go on nature investigation hunts around your neighborhood, school playground or camp. Assign students different items to investigate, native to your area. Students should not keep living specimens, but they might bring a bug box to temporarily house and examine a living critter. Look for evidence of living creatures: bug carcasses, exoskeletons, fallen leaves, feathers, owl pellets, seed pods, rocks, fallen nest, bits of animal fur, bark samples, plants, flowers and rocks. Use nitryl gloves to collect specimens. Warn kids not to pick up insect nests or other potentially dangerous items. Rather have them sketch items in situ. 

Have students draw living creatures, homes and habitats: spider's web, bird's nest, wasp's nest, rabbit hole, ant hill, scat (animal droppings). Students should record when and where they observed it. Students shouldn't touch but may observe scat(animal droppings) or dead animal remains.

In class, have children discuss and hypothesize on findings at their level of reasoning. Students might create a natural history museum displaying what they have found. Students can act as young docent guides, explaining discoveries to visitors. This makes a superb activity for parent-teacher conferences, which come early in the year before teachers have had time to collect much student work. It's ideal for summer camp, too. 

#printables #naturescience #animaltracking