I know I'm not the only mom who has watched her kids melt down when their fort-building doesn't go as planned. Without solid directions, good fort construction can be hard to come by. That's why I'm extremely pumped to see Cat Footwear's collection of fort blueprints online.
Spending so much time at home lately has yielded many fort-building sessions, but sometimes my kids get frustrated trying to string sheets together across dining room chairs only to have one end come crashing down when they pull too hard. They could definitely use a bit of help with their designs. (And frankly, it might just save my sanity.)
The Cat Footwear Fort Challenge offers a selection of instructions designed to look like construction blueprints to help families come together and build the perfect fort with materials you likely already have on hand. Each set of blueprints offers a checklist of supplies like blankets, sheets, boxes, scissors, rope, twine, pillows, and more that you can use to build various structures.
The iconic Caterpillar brand is best known for their big, bright yellow machinery. In addition to all of the excavators, diggers, and tractors that kids everywhere love to watch in action, the construction company also makes a variety of workwear and other clothing, including shoes. And to help make enjoying outdoor life extra special, some of the fort blueprints that Cat Footwear has released are ideal for creating unique spaces right in your own backyard. With the help of these designs, you can transform any ordinary day into an absolute adventure.
Your kids can transform your patio or garden into a giant seascape with the Deep Sea Adventure blueprint, adding a fan to make the colorful strips of fabric wave about just like the ocean would. They can also search the night sky for signs of extraterrestrial life from the comfort of their Garden UFO fort, complete with plenty of twinkling lights to guide their way. They can even hang a giant blanket from a tree branch to create a Whimsical Tent design and let their imaginations run wild decorating the interior of the tent.
And if your kids aren't too keen on the idea of backyard camping, or if the weather is less than desirable, there are also several blueprint designs that you can set up indoors. Perhaps a Crawl-In Movie Theater fort is exactly what your little movie buff needs to help tide them over until they can head to an actual theater to see films on the big screen once again.
And what bookworm doesn't want a secret reading nook all to themselves? The Enchanted Library design uses a table as the base of the fort and includes space to store plenty of books inside. Behind the makeshift library, a tunnel made from cardboard boxes serves as the entrance to a cozy spot hidden away from the rest of the world where your kids can escape into their favorite story. (Don't think for one second you can't also use this space to steal a moment away on your own when your kids aren't using it.)
Every single blueprint for your kids to try is available to download and print on the Cat Footwear website. You can also try your hand at designing your own fort blueprint with printable create-your-own instructions. Families are encouraged to show off their creativity and fort-building skills on social media by posting a photo, tagging @catfootwear and adding #catfortchallenge for the chance to win a Cat Footwear and Cat Footwear Kids prize pack.
Even if you don't win the prize pack, you can still have an incredible time making memories with your kids, building forts that I bet will hold up better than the makeshift structures my kids have attempted in the past few months.
