Toy of the Year

When we were in Minnesota visiting Jeanne we went to the Minneapolis Children's Museum one afternoon. They had a HUGE room dedicated to one year's "Toy of the Year".....the BOX! It was literally a giant room full of cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes.

I remembered this, and how much fun the kids were having, the other day when one of our vendors came by with my latest project (a foam-core standee) in a GIANT box with a handle. Once we were done editing the project he asked where he could take the box to throw it away. At that point I couldn't resist and I told him that I was hoping to take it home so that it could be a "Fort" for James. Luckily he has 2 kids himself and just laughed and thought that was a great idea. So, the box sat in my cubicle for a week while I figured out how to take it home. In that time 2 other people I work with asked about it and also wanted to take it home for THEIR kids. Apparently, I was on to something with this idea.

So, today I brought the box home. I got it inside and James instantly yelled "BOX" and tried to climb inside. I sent him out into the yard to play while I had a little fun with a sharpie and an exacto knife. You'll see the results below. It was definitely a hit.

The BOX: (4 feet high, 2 1/2 feet square)

The FORT (house) click on the pictures to see the whole thing:

I even added a little light inside! That didn't photograph very well with my phone though so you can't really see it.

James having fun with the mail (you'll have to click on the photos to see the whole thing):