Hang out. “In our old apartment, the kids used to tie ropes to the doorknobs and suddenly you couldn’t get from the kitchen to the bedroom,” says Lauri. Now, in the playroom, bungee cords are fastened at various points to walls and corners using hooks purchased for a few dollars at hardware stores. “The kids clip bedsheets to them with clothespins to build forts. They hang their art on them. They tie signs to them — often of the no grown-ups allowed variety. And Douglas and I pull them out to decorate on each kid’s birthday. They’re used to such good effect and were so cheap.”

Bungee Cords
Ace has 10-packs of cords in lengths from 16 to 36 inches and generic ceiling hooks to fasten them to walls (cords, $16 to $23 for 10; hooks, about $2.50 each: www.acehardware.com).