The Treehouse Appreciation Society

Happy Earth Day to you!
The weekend was gorgeous here in Seattle (seems to be over for the moment, hope everyone enjoyed). A big part of it for us was spent out in the backyard, readying it for warmer weather. The official Treehouse Appreciation Society began as a result of our weekend. (The society being we (you, anybody) wise crafters who craft and make things for treehouse, club house, outdoor fun, etc.) The more we cleaned up the play structure, the more excited we got, thinking of the possibilities of hanging out and playing there again this summer. At some point on Saturday, our thoughts turned to camp and treehouse-related crafts (as all cleaning sessions with mom usually do). Hence, the society…

We have always called this structure a treehouse, but its actually quite firmly on the ground. It does, however, have a great “lookout” on the top floor. Sitting up there gives you a bird’s eye view of our backyard and of the trees around us, that’s the treehouse part. Our little house in the trees. (I’ve spent some me time up there myself.)

There is a tiny clubhouse below, just behind the climbing wall, with a door, and according to 7 and 10 year olds, that’s where the magic happens. I donated an old doormat for the threshold, and Emma planted a pot of geraniums-

There were requests made by the kids for some sort of seating inside, and a table. That sent me off on a tangent I will explain in another post. In the spirit of using only what we have around the house, I gave them a plastic storage bin with a well fitting lid to put inside the clubhouse, that can be used for temporary seating. It was quickly filled with board games, binoculars, art supplies, and bird books. Perfect. An old camp table with a piece of oil cloth over it makes a table just the right size. And, what’s a clubhouse without curtains? Up went a set sewn from a yard of fabric I had and a curtain rod I found in the basement.
 
Its good…its really really good in there.

These little flower bud vials, left over from a floral arrangement my friend made, proved to be the real hit of the afternoon. There were flower petals to be crushed! Potions to be mixed! The birdbath was a handy pot-

I love my kid’s “can do” attitude, and am always happy when they don’t automatically think something needs to be purchased in order to make or finish the ideea they have in their mind. This is where their impatience pays off- they don’t have the time to wait for a grown up to take them to buy what they need (plus it takes a lot of energy and persistence to convince them to do it in the first place). So, by default, the imagination takes over and they simply make it happen.

And I apologize to the neighbors in advance for how many times Emma has played this song in the treehouse. I’m really thinking twice about putting sound of any kind out there.