The Spider Web Hallway
10 minutes · Low cost · 4–10 years · No mess
The elf tried to build itself a route through the hallway and produced a glorious tangle instead. Strips of masking tape criss-cross the doorway like a web, and the only way out of the room in the morning is to climb through without touching a single strand. It wakes everybody up far faster than breakfast does.
What you need
- Masking tape (1 roll)
How to do it
- Pick a doorway — the one to the children's room or the living room works best.
- Stretch strips of masking tape back and forth across the frame until you have a web or a grid.
- Press the ends down firmly, but use masking tape so it comes off paint and wallpaper cleanly.
- Leave one crumpled strip of tape near the elf door as evidence.
What you tell the children
“Careful — the hallway is enchanted! You have to climb through the web without touching the threads. Make it to the other side and you are an elf champion.”
The note the elf leaves
I was so bored in here. I built a course for my elf olympics. Then I got stuck in the middle of it, which was not part of the plan.
Your elf
The printable version is in the app — with your elf's name on it, and your child's.
One idea every night
The app spreads the ideas across the nights up to Christmas, reminds you in the evening and prints the letters. Twelve are free, and 70 more come with the season pass.
