What really grabbed my eye this week was not so much a geeky gadget but a really cool toy I wish I had when I was a kid. See, I loved building forts, little playhouses, and tents for imaginary play, and I loved my Tinker Toys. Crazy Forts is both of those in one! A Crazy Forts kit looks like nothing more than Tinker Toys big enough to live inside, but what else does a kid need?
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fort2.jpgA Crazy Fort set comes with 44 sticks and 25 balls used to connect them in at various angles. Build your fort, castle, tunnel, pyramid, or whatever you can think of, then throw a bed sheet over it to finish your building. The product site has plans you can download for different designs, but it won't be long before your kids come up with something completely different.
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Isn't this better than seeing the kids move furniture around all over the house? Even better, there are no batteries, cartridges, or refills involved. No movie or breakfast cereal tie-ins. All you need is an imagination! Crazy Forts could be a classic, like Tinker Toys and homemade playhouses. It just makes sense.
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Fort3.jpgThen I think about all the times I've looked around the house for something I could use to hold up something else, a prop of a certain size, or something with a particular angle, for all kinds of crazy reasons. Even though I'm no kid, I kinda want one (or two) of these for myself! Available from Mastermind Toys and chapters.indigo.ca for $34.99.