Den

Although my kids are 10 and 12 they still love a den. Yesterday, just by chance, we got our hands on some huge boxes. One of our neighbours was having a new shower installed and we noticed the cardboard treasures outside her door. We hadn't planned to make a den, but when two enormous cardboard boxes end up in your possession what else is there to do?

The den we ended up making is quite sophisticated. It's basically a dome with a roof made of triangles. We should have done some maths to work out how to make it but the number crunching was beyond my capabilities so we used our artistic eyes and guessed.

It turned out pretty well and since we finished building it the girls have been happily adding lighting, a carpet, a book shelf and a hanging bag for walkie talkies. It's a snug little space. There's just room for them.

There's something very instinctive about creating a small, safe space. For some, home is little more than our cardboard den. It's a very cold day today. I wonder how we would cope living in such a makeshift structure without the warmth and comfort of our home around it.