How to Create an Inside Tent

Making a tent indoors is a childhood rite of passage-an opportunity for your kids to hide out, hang out and mimic the camping experience. Create one inside and fill it with pillows and blankets, snacks and fun activities for an engaging night of play.

Things You'll Need

• Sheets
• Chairs
• Books
• Decorative shapes
• Pillows and sleeping bags
• Flashlights
• Bug catching toys
• Plastic bugs
• Mood music
• Snacks

Instructions

1. Gather tent-making supplies in the center of a large room. Find chairs with the highest backs in your house, large sheets and heavy books.

2. Arrange the chairs in a square, face out. If you have hardwood floors, place the feet on small pieces of rubber to keep them from sliding.

3. Pull the sheet taut over the chairs. If the tent isn't large enough, attach several sheets with safety pins. Secure the tent by placing books on the chairs to weigh down the sheets. Add height by propping a long stick or broom in the center of the tent, if desired.

4. Decorate the finished tent with an assortment of felt shapes, paper flowers or fun foam moon and stars affixed with tape or adhesive dots.

5. Give kids flashlights, battery-operated lanterns, sleeping bags and pillows if they want to camp out in the living room. Give them play bug-catching gear and hide plastic bugs throughout the room. Buy a compact disc with nature sounds like crickets or a babbling brook to play softly in the background. (See Resources)

6. Provide snacks like smores, barbecued hot dogs and trail mix to enjoy before bed.

Tips & Warnings

• Save time by buying a pre-made tent (that you can still fold up and stash under the bed when not in use) and decorate the outside with foam shapes, letters and numbers. These tents also have built-in activities like tunnels and games. (See Resources)

Resources

• Set the mood with a nature sounds compact disc.
• Buy a pre-made tent and decorate it yourself.