How to Make a Play Tent or Canopy
Children love to play in small tents or under canopies that are scaled to kid size. These structures allow the child's imagination to run wild and the tent becomes part of a story or game played by one or more children, indoors or out. By building such structures from rounded PVC pipe, the structure becomes more safe. PVC is light, easy to carry and move and it is durable enough to hold up to the activity of children.
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- 2-inch PVC pipe
- Hack saw
- Saw box
- 3-way inline connector piece
- PVC glue
- 6 elbows
- 2 inline 3-way connectors
- 4 snap clamps
- Fabric
- Sewing Machine
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Cut four pieces of 2-inch PVC that are 12 inches long. Cut three pieces that are 36 inches long. Cut two pieces that are 24 inches long. Use a hack saw and a cutting box.
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2
Glue the inside of an inline 3-way connector piece. Glue the outside of a 12-inch straight piece. Use PVC glue and applicator. Drag the applicator around the pipe on the inside or outside applying a 1/2-inch glue smear. Press the straight pipe into the connector. Repeat with the same connector directly opposite the first pipe. Repeat this with the second set of 12-inch pipes and the second 3-way connector piece.
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3
Glue elbows to each end of a 36-inch straight piece. Make sure the elbows face the same way. Repeat with a second and third 36-inch straight piece.
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4
Position two of the 36-inch straight pipes 26 inches apart with elbows facing inward. Position your 12-inch, plus connector, plus 12-inch sections between the pipes at the elbows. Apply glue inside the elbow and outside the open end of the 12-inch pipe and press the 12-inch pipe into the elbow. The 3-way connector's third opening should face straight up. Glue the remaining three elbows to the pipes. This is the base of your tent.
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5
Glue a 24-inch section of pipe to one elbow on your remaining 36-inch pipe with elbows. Repeat for your remaining 24-inch section. Stand your U-shaped piece up. Apply glue into the top 3-way connector hole in the base and to the outside of the 24-inch sections at both ends and press the U-shaped sections into the connectors. This completes your tent and canopy structure. Allow the glue overnight to dry.
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6
Select an outdoor fabric and cut and hem it to 36 by 50 inches. Attach your fabric to your tent frame using snap clamps. These clamps slide over the fabric and PVC by simply pressing them where you need them. For a tent, clamp the fabric to the base frame on the 36-inch sides, going over the center tent peak. For a canopy, attach one side and the top peak. you can roll up the excess for a nice canopy effect.
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Tips & Warnings
Make separate PVC poles and extend the canopy to the poles to make a larger play set.
References
- Photo Credit pvc image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
