Ideas for Outdoor Wooden Boat

[newtodaycare22]

I watched this go from $100 (crazy) to $20 on craigslist...and now I'm getting it.

Any ideas for it? Should I just leave it empty inside or do something like sand, corn kernels, mulch? I'd love any ideas to make the most of this. Thanks!

[SilverSabre25]

Sand box!!! You can store the sand toys in the little front compartment. That thing is totally awesome!

[Cat Herder]

I'd have it turned into a childrens, raised bed, strawberry patch by monday....

[MG&Lsmom]

I love both those ideas. Or just a boat. LOL! My kids would love a pirate ship!

[Crystal]

I'd use pea gravel. I have a huge pea gravel pit surrounded by driftwood as a border....it is the most used area in my yard. The kid's love it!

[godiva83]

That is AWESOME and I am totally jealous.
Sandbox all the way- but my kids are obsessed with sand.

[MG&Lsmom]

I don't know where you'd go about getting it from, but a local dairy farm here uses dried corn in raised beds. A different take on the pea gravel. It's a huge hit here and one of our all time favorite places to go in the Fall.

[countrymom]

I would paint it and put nothing in it, the kids can use their imagination.

[MamaJ]

get some fishing poles! my husband has his dad's fishing boat here for the week... all four kids here (two boys (age 4/5 ish) and two girls (age 2) spent HOURS pretend fishing. the two year olds gave up after 25 mins or so...but kept going back. the older boys just loved it.

I have real kid-sized fishing poles...took the hooks off the end and tied on metal rights. they pretended casting and fishing for a LONG time. I had nets for them too.

I'm going to pick up some magnets to put on the end of them this weekend...we have an indoor fishing game we made where we cut fish out of foam and put paperclips on them...they go fishing with wooden dowels and magnets...SO moving this outside with the "real" fishing poles.

[youretooloud]

I would sand it, paint it, make sure it's bug and mold free, then I'd leave it inside if you have space, or outside if the weather is good.

I'd buy or make some sheets to go over the top of it and let the kids use their imagination for a while, then put it outside for sand or a garden.

[Abigail]

How big and how deep is it? It looks like a foot deep and about 4 feet square with the triangle another 3 feet to the tip? That is a good size! I would have to sand it and make it safer to try to prevent a sliver. I would use it as a standbox myself as that is what it was probably made and used for in the first place. You can always create more dramatic play opportunities along with props ontop of the sandbox use as well.