When I was a kid I loved making sheet forts. My brothers and I would stretch sheets all over the living room, pinning edges down with stacks of books, clothespins and sofa cushions. (I’m pretty certain Mom was involved in most of the secure forts that were made.) My favorite part was when I could crawl under the sheets and set up a cozy little home. I’ve been creating little nests like that my whole life… Barbie houses made out of shoeboxes, glass jars as terrariums for all sorts of outdoor critters (the spiders would often be the only living creatures left by morning), and more forts built outdoors with my brothers and neighborhood buddies.

So when we acquired a large cardboard box from the Moreheads’ front porch, it was all I could do to not overtake the small place that was meant for my daughter. During her nap I cut windows and a door, all the while telling my husband about the Boxcar children and how much I loved reading about their adventures. As an adult a boxcar sounds like a terrible place to call home, and yet as a kid, I thought it was terribly creative to store milk behind rocks in a cold creek and to set up house with found objects from the woods.

What are some of your favorite kid memories? What things did you do that you hope to repeat for your own children?