Take your pillow fort to the next level with these elaborate free designs

Why build a simple pillow fort in your living room when you can create a decked-out crawl-in movie theater? Or a secret reading nook? Or a couch castle?

Cat footwear has just launched a line of kids’ shoes that look like miniature versions of the work boots it’s known for. As part of its launch campaign, it’s issued a Fort Challenge, inviting families to get creative with their pillow forts. Its website offers three free blueprints and instruction manuals that will help you construct hideaways such as an outdoor campsite made from a clothesline and three sheets. If you want to design a fort from scratch, you can download a “create-your-own” blueprint that lets you customize the three fort structures.

For Cat, a nearly century-old brand that’s known for heavy-duty construction equipment, the Fort Challenge is a clever way to engage customers with kids during this time. After nearly three months stuck at home, children around the world are bouncing off the walls. (Literally! I spoke to a pediatric surgeon recently who said that more kids have been coming in with broken legs and arms from jumping off the couch.) This project effectively turns kids into little engineers and construction workers, as they design creative spaces in their homes and backyards.

In case you’re looking for other fort ideas, Ikea Russia released six designs of its own—the only catch is that they’re built around the company’s own products. The Cat blueprints, on the other hand, require nothing more than everyday household objects and some imagination.