How to Make a Teepee in the Backyard
Native Americans lived in teepees because they were easy to move and made from the skins of the animals they hunted for food. Whether you are learning about Native Americans, with a Cub Scout troop or just playing in the backyard with your kids, making your own teepee can be a fun and enjoyable experience.
Things You'll Need
- 9 x 12 foot canvas drop cloth
- Ruler
- Marker
- Scissors
- 15 feet of sturdy rope
- 10 eight-foot sticks
- 2 one-foot, skinny pieces of wood
Instructions
-
-
1
Fold the drop cloth into a 9 x 6 foot rectangle and mark off one foot on the fold.
-
2
Tie the marker to the end of a six-foot length of rope. Securing the other end at the mark you made on the fold, use the marker to draw an arc on the canvas.
-
-
3
Cut the arc line you made as well as a small rectangle to the left of the mark on the fold. This will be the hole at the top of the teepee through which the sticks will extend.
-
4
Tie three of your 10-foot sticks loosely together about 18 inches from the top and set them up in tripod fashion.
-
5
Lean the rest of the sticks against the tripod, spacing them fairly evenly and drape the unfolded drop cloth around them. You will overlap the top to help make the door flap.
-
6
In the overlap, cut two small holes horizontally from each other through both layers and use the one foot stick to hold the cloth in place. Do this again about 10 inches below the first.
-
7
Cut a small hole near the bottom corner of the cloth and use a small length of rope to tie the canvas to one stick. This is one side of the doorway. The other corner of the cloth should extend past this tied pole to create a door flap.
-
8
Cut other small holes in the canvas for each of the other sticks. Secure the canvas to each stick with rope.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Bamboo sticks or PVC pipe works well for the teepee structure.
Have fun by painting your teepee since colors often were used by the natives to show their personalities.
You may want to secure the teepee to the ground if you are located in a breezy area.
