Building a Top Secret Fort Kit

This fun post about one of our favorite summer activity kits and unique ways to use Energizer Headlights is part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client, Energizer. My participation is compensated as part of the study, but I only participate in campaigns with products I believe in and would buy anyway, and you can be sure all opinions are my own.

My parents, and particularly my Mom, were exceptionally creative and intentional parents, at least in my opinion. As I sometimes struggle through the minute-by-minute challenges of parenting, I wonder if they knew they were nailing it in the moment. I’m betting they didn’t – I’m betting, or hoping, that like my husband and me they had a basic game plan and just clung to that as the road map.

Anyway – one of the many fun things they did for us was “summer fun bags” and “winter fun bags.” These were never over the top or extravagant, just a few items on the first day of summer and the first of December to welcome and celebrate the season. The summer bag might have flip flops, sunscreen, some summer books and a new swim suit, while the winter bag might have new PJs, an advent calendar and assorted goodies.

While I don’t always nail it myself on my goal to do some of these fun and memorable things with my girls, I’m proud of a few successes here and there. One of these was the Top Secret Fort Stephens Kit. This was inexpensive (under $25), has provided hours of entertainment and would make a great happy summer or winter gift.

Today, I picked up some Energizer Headlights to refresh our kit for the summer. (You can check out our shopping excursion and see the lights we chose and why, as well as the essential clamps for the fort kit, here in my Google+ album!) It was such a no-brainer for me to participate in this Energizer #LightMyWay campaign, because we are the family that literally keeps head lamps in every single room. We have them in the car for grabbing quickly when we have to jump out to open a padlocked gate and need a night headlight, in the garage for rummaging through storage bins (better than a work flashlight!) and hanging near the back door for emergencies or for late night trips to our detached garage and shed. We also keep them handy in our bed tables for emergencies and convenient grabbing under a tornado warning. My husband uses his for hands-free car repairs, building a fire in our backyard chiminea or for grilling after dark when a beam headlight is really helpful. Our neighbor, a devoted runner, wears one to walk his dogs or go for a run in the early morning hours and late at night.

We obviously use them for camping as well, but I would say we use them ten times as often around the house. And, the very basic Energizer Headlights I picked up today come packaged with the batteries and are lightweight and inexpensive ($4.98 at Walmart), so it’s practical to have multiples around the house. However, there is a nice higher end LED version that would last longer and be more dependable for rugged outdoor use, as well as several in between models.

Anyway, each of our girls received their own bright headlight (varying colors to keep them separate) along with the Fort Kit. Kids love having their very own items, and these Energizer Headlights get a surprising amount of use. The other contents of our Fort Kit include several basic navy blue flat sheets (which stay neat packaged in the cloth bags they came in), a multipack or two of utility clamps from the hardware section, some rope and maybe a top secret journal and pens. There are plenty of other great items in the camping and hardware sections at Walmart and right near the section where the Energizer Headlights are displayed that make great additions to the kit. We keep it all packaged in a paint bucket so it’s easy to grab. And, the whole thing would make a fantastic, fun and inexpensive happy-summer-celebrate-school-is-out gift!

And, since my toddler could easily be mistaken as the Energizer Bunny herself, this is a perfect all day, indoor or outdoor, rain or shine activity to keep her very busy. We often head to the library, stock up on books and audiobooks and then let the girls set up a fort for the rest of the day. The clamps and rope ensure that my kids can use trees, chairs, a dining table, their beds or just about anything else to build and secure the fort.

I know, I know – it’s tough to build a super dark top secret fort AND light it up enough for photos, with or without a headlight!

I’d love to hear if you’ve ever assembled something similar or if you plan to pick up some Energizer Headlights and build a Top Secret Fort Kit for your kids this summer!

If you repin this on Pinterest or Instagram, use the #LightMyWay and #FortKit hashtags to share the idea with others!