How Make a Kids Teepee Tent

Whether you want to make it just as a play tent or as a way to respond to your children's interest in Native Americans, a teepee tent makes a wonderful outdoor plays pace. Bigger children can learn to assemble it and take it apart, just as Native Americans did. Smaller children can make it into any kind of playhouse and will enjoy a space that is just for them in the big back yard. Build a teepee tent this summer and watch the neighborhood decide that its more fun to play in your yard!

Things You'll Need

• Three or six 8-foot poles Ball of twine Scissors Step-stool Trowel Old sheets--2 twin-size or 1 full-size Stapler Tempera or fabric paint Brush Old blankets Small rocks

Instructions

1. Choose your site and decide how large your tent will be. The simplest way to do this is to tie a couple of loops of twine around your poles, approximately 1 foot from the top of your teepee. Hold your poles upright and let kids spread them out in a circle--three poles are the minimum; six poles make a more stable tent.

2. Mark the sites of your pole bottom ends with your trowel. Lay poles down and loosen soil where the bottoms will go, digging down at least 6 inches.

3. Holding the poles in a bundle upright at the center, push poles into the ground evenly. Reinforce the top of your bundle with a lot of twine--wrap and wrap, over, under and around, until it's hard for the poles to move.

4. Staple twin sheets together. Wrap them, or a full-sized sheet, around your tent poles. Secure them with staples. Begin wrapping about 6 inches below the twine-joint--real teepees left a gap at the top to serve as a chimney for small fires built for warmth or small cooking jobs. Staple down to within 3 feet of the bottom--leave a gap to make your door.

5. Trim the sheet for the door so that you have a 1 to 2 foot overlap of sheet. For toddlers, you may wish to leave the overlap as it is or staple the top flap open so that you can observe play.

6. For older children, make a working door. Poke a hole in the bottom corner of your door flap, thread a 2-foot piece of twine through it and secure it with a big knot. Open the flap, make a hole in the fabric of the tent, and thread and knot another piece of twine through that hole. Children who are beginning to tie their shoes or explore other knots can then leave the door open or closed.

7. Offer some options that children can add. Let your tribe/club choose decorations and paint them on--tempera will survive a couple of rain showers, then need renewal, but that means more painting fun! Gather small stones and make a fire circle under the top opening--add some sticks and old cooking pots for pretend meals. Let the kids add old blankets for beds--or take their sleeping bags out for a warm night sleepover! Join them and enjoy sleeping under the stars!