Kids love rocking and rolling, climbing and crawling, hiding and playing; The Thing provides a one-stop shop for all these activities and more. Perhaps the coolest feature is The Thing’s propensity to inspire creative play and physical activity.

It can be used inside and out; right side up, upside down and on its side; by one or two kids; and by kids of all ages. Since this versatility means it can be used in crazy ways, set the ground rules before your kids cut loose on The Thing.

If you’re a beginning furniture maker, you’ll be hard pressed to find a project simpler than this. With six pieces of wood, nine cuts and twenty screws you can create a bench surprisingly easy to build, and surprisingly easy to sit on as well.

There are a few keys to this simplicity. Most of the cuts are the same 30-degree angle. Many of the parts do double duty—the back legs serve as the seat supports and the front legs serve as the backrest support. And the seat is made from a pre-cut stair tread, with the front already rounded over for you.

My Uncle Bob was one of those classic uncles that would pull nickels out of your ear and tickle you until milk came out your nose. He worked most of his life as a butcher—and I suspect his daily use of a band saw for cutting pork chops naturally inclined him to use the same tool for crafting furniture. This piece was inspired by a table Uncle Bob made 30 years ago; one that still serves as a side table next to my reading chair in the den.

If the kids in your life are like most, they have a lot of toys to cuddle—and stow. These circus train cars are storage boxes in disguise. They can be used in two modes: Hooked together for play and stacked atop one another for storage. The bungee cord bars stretch to make it easy to slide toys in and out when playing or when the cars are stacked. It’s a great project to do hand-in-hand with kids.

Twenty-five years ago I fell in love with a small oak stool; a piece of furniture that, in its era, was often called a “cricket.” Since its purchase, this Craftsman-style cricket has been used as a footstool, computer desk, kid seat, snack table and stepladder. Today, it’s as attractive, useful and sturdy as the day it was built over 100 years ago. Since imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, we copied the design almost exactly.