Den Day Ideas

With Save The Children’s Den Day taking place on 17-18 June 2016 we’ve put together a hoard of ideas to give you some inspiration.

SHOWER CURTAIN DEN

A shower curtain makes a cosy cottage den! We cut our curtain in half and used our permanent markers to decorate it and pull ties to hang it on the legs of the trampoline for an under trampoline den…(*obviously only to be used whilst no-one is on it!)

This also works well under tables, on the sides of bunk beds….anywhere really ????We used an IKEA shower curtain. Check out more of our IKEA children craft hacks.

READING NOOK DEN

We made our reading nooks by tying string to the trees in the garden and hanging blankets over the string. We used rocks to secure to the floor and filled with cushions.

TODDLER MUMMY BOX DEN

We covered a large box with some white sheets and threw in some pillows before adding tissue paper and some cotton wool to make our mummy den. We finished by adding some torches.

HAUNTED HOUSE UNDER TABLE DEN

We used a fitted sheet that spread over the table and secured under the table legs. We used a bin bag cut into strips that we sellotaped to the table to make cobwebs. We added some spooky props and pillows.

BRANCH DEN

Make a branch den in the woods…

WINTER WONDERLAND UNDER TABLE DEN

❄️⛄️ Here’s a simple way to make a winter wonderland under table den/reading nook!

A few towels, a duvet, some battery operated fairy lights and some paper snowflakes…. Just add your favourite book and snuggle down…

GAMES PLAYSTATION DEN

Fill a tent with pillows and blankets and a small coffee table and climb inside with your favourite board games for some outdoor gaming.

NEWBORN DISCOVERY DEN

Make a newborn discovery den, see ours here.

POP UP BEACH DEN

Fill a pop up tent with sand to make a fun seaside themed beach hut den.

LAUNDRY BASKET DEN

I filled laundry baskets with cushions to go in an under table den. This meant that Ms A, at 3.5 months old, could play too.

I draped a blankie over the end of the table and taped some battery operated fairy lights out of reach.

BEAR LAIR UNDER TABLE DEN

Make an under table bear den to climb into and snooze. Great for when the class teddy bear comes home for a visit.

PIRATE SHIP BOX DEN

Sail the seven seas in a pirate ship made from boxes and imagination.

UNDER TABLE OCEAN DEN

You’d be surprised what you can make with a roll of cling film & some fairy lights!! We made our very own under table ocean complete with a yellow submarine.

See how we made it here.

UNDER TABLE HOUSE DEN

I used an old curtain to make a play house under the table. I cut out windows and a door and used string to secure it to the table legs.

UNDER TABLE SPACE ROCKET DEN

We made an under table space rocket den and space walked on the kitchen table, it was easy and loads of fun for the smallest members in the house…here’s a peek…. Find out what we did HERE.

BROOMSTICK DENS

I hung a broomstick from a tree branch with string and then hung a quilt cover over it. I placed pebbles on the bottom to secure it. An ideal and simple den to set up in the woods…

READING DEN

We found a bed canopy in the charity shop for £3 (they are relatively cheap to buy from Ikea too) so we headed to the woods with some cushions and books to make a reading den. We found a log which we used as a seat. It was easy to hang from a branch with string and would be ideal in the summer.

UNDER TABLE LIBRARY

We gathered books and cushions to make our under table book den. We covered the chairs at the back with a sheet to create a book shelf and cut a cardboard box in half to create more bookshelves.

ARCTIC BOX DEN

We painted a large box white and filled it with white cushions and blankets and cubes of polystyrene to make our antarctic toddler den.

FABRIC WIGWAM

We used lengths of fabric which we wrapped around sticks to make a wigwam.

DOLLY DENS

Use wooden skewers, rubber bands and paper to make some dolly dens.

PAMPER PARLOUR DEN

An old bed canopy is ideal to use to make a themed den…

POP UP MOVIE DEN

Set up a pop up tent in front of the TV to make your own movie den.

TRAMPOLINE DEN

Fill your trampoline with blankets and cushions for a fun bouncy den. Find oodles more trampoline fun ideas here.

UNDER TABLE BOUDOIR DEN

We made an under table boudoir with sheets, cushions, fake flowers and battery operated fairy lights. We had some sandwiches cut out with a heart cutter and served juice in an empty Champagne bottle.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE BOX DEN

Use a large box to make a fabulous gingerbread house den. See how we made ours here.

POP UP CAMPING DEN

Pop a pop up tent up for some indoor glamping.

OUTDOOR CINEMA DEN

Use a tent and an iPad to make your own outdoor cinema den. See ours here.

BIRD’S NEST DEN

Head outdoors and use sticks to make your own bird’s nest den.

TODDLER BOX CAR DEN

More fun box ideas Things to Do With Boxes.

PADDLING POOL STAR GAZING DEN

Fill a paddling pool with blankets and cushions for a fab star gazing den.

COFFEE TABLE DEN

Throw blankets over a coffee table for a simple den.

SISTINE CHAPEL DEN

Use cardboard to make your own Sistine Chapel den and crawl in and paint the ceiling. See ours here.

PREHISTORIC WORLD DEN

Use a large box to make a fabulous prehistoric world box den. See ours here.

BOAT BUILDER YARD DEN

We made our builders yard sign and pitched up our tent. We took a bag of off-cut wood that we got from the local saw mill for free, plus a bag of mixed used nails from the builders yard for £1.50, a hammer, some material (an old pillowcase), some string, scissors and a staple gun to attach our sail. (You can also use nails.)

UNDER TABLE FESTIVE GROTTO DEN

Dig through the Christmas decorations to make an under table grotto.

????STAR GAZING TENT DEN????

I picked up a tent that had been abandoned in a rubbish pile at the end of the festival as it had a small tear in the top.

I cut off the roof and decorated the side with permanent marker pen and some glow in the dark paint.

All we need now is to wait for a beautifully clear skied night & fill it with blankies and cushions for a bit of star gazing ????

IGLOO DEN

Place a chair in front of a tent and then cover with sheets to make an igloo den.

FAIRY LIGHT BOX DEN

Make a really cute fairy light den with a box and a string of battery operated lights poked through the top. More light up fun ideas here.

DEN BUILDING AT BLUESTONE

When visiting Bluestone, we had a huge table in our lodge so we made a huge den!

To find our more about Save The Children’s Den Day and take part please take a peek here.