Children have the oft-forgotten innate ability to see beyond "what is" into the realm of "what could be". A large tree, a hillside, a pile of discarded lumber...all these are the raw materials for architects, engineers, and explorers in the making. Somewhere down the line a vast majority of us adults lose this vision and forget the joys of imagining and making. Here are four reminders we all have a slumbering creative waiting to reawaken regardless of age...

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If you are anything like myself, you have spent a fair amount of your youth (and beyond) imagining what it would be like to stop in for tea at Bag's End or catch a quick supper and a pint at The Prancing Pony. Alas, we are stuck in our own drab world where elves are relegated to Christmastime, houses are full of right angles and doors are almost never round. The Hobbit holes so lovingly described in the books of J.R.R. Tolkien are a wonderful mix of coziness and whimsy. Believe it or not, you can now own one, and your kids will forever be in your debt. More

Why didn't they have this when I was a kid?! Thankfully, the Wibit Sports Park 60 is just as much for big kids as it is for little kids. If you own a lake house, you could turn your front yard into your very own adventure water park, complete with slides, swings, trampolines, and obstacles of all kinds. More

I recently spotted this Cath Kidston teepee for Free People and instantly fell in love. There aren't a lot of these big enough for adults (you can make one yourself) but they're great alternatives to the boring beach umbrella. Smaller ones are fun for make believe/private time in a kid's room or backyard. Take a look and maybe add this traditional tent to your summer play. More

The next time you are at your company's annual summer picnic, take a look at what all of the kids are doing. Hopefully they are having fun, not getting into too much trouble and keeping themselves amused. But check out this picnic where it was never in doubt where the kids were--inside a fantastical cardboard wonderland. Quite a few adults could be found there as well. More

Quick, name the first three playground structures that pop into your head--a slide, swings, and a see-saw, right? Well, slides and swings can still be found everywhere but see-saws are teetering on the edge of extinction. Safety issues and liability concerns have made them pretty rare. But for those of us who grew up with see-saws it is hard to imagine a childhood without them. If you want one these days you'll have to build it yourself. Luckily, that prospect just got a bit easier. More

Before the adult realities of keeping house set in, children love to play house. They enact the rituals they see their parents engaged in, they exert their otherwise limited power over their own domain and give their imaginations free reign. That's what's so special about play houses - their diminutive size inhibits too much adult oversight.

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You'd think living in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright would be cool enough for most kids, but twelve-year-old Jim Berger wanted more — at least for his dog. In 1956 he wrote Wright asking for a dog house to be designed to match his own home and, after a second request, Wright eventually complied. While it was demolished in 1973, it was recently rebuilt and is taking a tour across the country. More

Holly Gomez is an architect and a mom who left firm life behind to start her own business designing and building playhouses. The custom handbuilt playhouses are constructed with quality materials and inspected by Holly's kids. More

Last year my husband and I purchased an old church and have been renovating it ever since. It lacks a real kitchen and this little play kitchen might possibly be more stylish digs than my own food comes out of. If only I could suffice on playfood, I'd be set! More