The Chicago Children's Museum is taking DIY fort-building to the next level with the best kids' immersive exhibit we've heard of in a long time:

Everyday materials take on entirely new shapes and purposes to become a fort designer's dream. Leaning doors and headboards provide the perfect pre-made structures to begin your design. Cabinets without backs, upside-down coffee tables and a balcony with stairs also provide the perfect starting place. After you've staked out where to begin, use the endless supply of blankets, sheets, tablecloths, stools, brooms, and more to expand your space. Be on the lookout for windows, mirrors, table legs, and other items to use, too!

Now that you've built the perfect fort, now it's time to play in it! Make a sign to hang on the door using one of the moveable chalkboards to let visitors know who is inside. Dress up in a costume, make music, play games, or invite a friend and favorite doll over for tea. Will your fort be a house, a store, or a castle? How about a rocket ship? The possibilities are endless, but fun is guaranteed! [Link]

We learned about the exhibit from its project manager, Rick Garmon, a month or so ago when he contacted us to ask for permission to use a photo of one of Z's forts in a brochure he was developing to accompany the exhibit. For those of you seeking fort-building materials, the fort image he selected (we've uploaded the full PDF here for free download) combines pieces from the now-retired-and-replaced-with-various-unattractive-spinoffs Cranium Super Fort, a Fortamajig, and a play easel, which makes a nice tall wall and an excellent baby nook to boot. The entire thing could have been built using blankets and sheets, although those Fortamajig connectors are very handy.

They have a video intro to the museum on YouTube that is making me feel pretty sad that we weren't able to make it to this museum during our whirlwind weekend in Chicago during BlogHer. We took Z with us but relied on the conference's much-appreciated (and very well-run) daycare service. Here's what the museum has to offer - the standard equipment you'll see at most children's museums, but also some great big play structures:


Z and I hung out memorably after hours, and late into the evening, while Jenni attended most of the sociable BlogHer events. (Z is amazingly fun after bedtime - she gets goofy, not crabby.) My availability from about 4 p.m. on made a visit to the museum (located on the Navy Pier that was served as our primary playtime stomping grounds) pretty much impossible - the only day they're open past five is Thursdays.

If you're in the Chicago area this fall, do your child a favor and check out this exhibit together! We won't be in town to experience it, but if Z's behavior yesterday is any indication, we'll be building copious blanket and couch forts at home in the exhibit's honor.

And we'll be sure to upload photos of some of them to the infamous Couch Fort Confidential Flickr pool, which has some pretty smashing stuff on it already:



If you and/or your kids build a fort, post it to the pool, or write about it on your own blog and send us a link! We'd love to see it.