Why?
Because it is so much more than a house.
It is an art studio prepared for messy adventures. And displaying both process and product.
It is a science lab fit for experimenting with anything from explosion to dissection.
It is a jungle gym full of spots for flipping, hanging and softly landing.
It is a movie theatre, where you can bring in as much of your own food as is required to enjoy the show.
It is a dig site, where excavating treasures happens on a near daily basis.
It is a library of the noisy sort where pouring over, piling up and dog earring pages is encouraged.
It is a video arcade, with out the necessity of coins and the welcoming of drinks and food near the machines.
It is a gathering space, where all are welcomed just as they come and hooting, hollering, mentoring and celebrating is invited.
It is an infirmary where people, pets, stuffies and plants are found in varies stages of healing.
It is a coffee shop where beans are roasted, shots are pulled and friends are toasted.
It is a workshops where things are taken apart and not put back together. Where projects are started and not finished but always waiting to be revisited.
It is a hockey rink/soccer field/wrestling ring/golf course/tennis court where skills are tested and tried.
It is a dressing room with costumes and props fit for the making of imaginations finest films.
It is a super heroes backyard with gadgets poised for use and repurposing.
It is a chef’s kitchen where testing, inviting and preparing elaborate meals happens over and over and over again.
And it is many more things then I can remember to mention.
So if you stop by please look passed what appears to be mess and join in the magic.
Shannon Loucks first wrote this blogpost about Messy Houses in 2011 at her blog, Breaking Daylight.
Her unschoolers are nearly grown now and she shares some fabulous ideas for how to connect more with your kids in her new book,
Love More: 50 Ways to build joy into childhood.
