The Perfect Fort

To kids, few things are as captivating as an honest-to-goodness fort. They might call it the clubhouse, the hideaway or any of a thousand secret names, but it's all the same--a place built by them, for them, using easy-to-find materials, a few tools and lots of imagination. Like the two-room fort you see here, built of sticks, rocks, rope and that most prized of childhood possessions, an old refrigerator box.

	Materials
	• Large cardboard box (ask at appliance stores) • Utility knife • Sticks • Grass or leaves • Markers (for signs) • Rope • Rocks • Brush • Various sheathing materials

SAFETY NOTE TO KIDS As with most things that are fun, building a fort has its hazards, too. So be careful: Think before you begin, ask for help with tools, and have an adult inspect your fort (just like they do with real houses) before you move in.

Tom Birdseye is the author of A KIDS' GUIDE TO BUILDING FORTS.