How to Make a Teepee from a Sheet

Teepees can be lots of fun for playing in the backyard.

Indigenous and nomadic people have used teepees for centuries. The way teepees are designed makes them perfect for moving them from place to place and taking them down when not in use. Traditionally, teepees are made of animal hides. However, you can create a teepee of your own using just a few common materials. A homemade teepee is a great place for kids to play and an inventive alternative to a fort made from cushions and blankets.

Things You'll Need

• 4 wooden poles (such as broomsticks or dowels)
• King or Queen sized flat sheet
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
• Rope

Instructions

1. Hold the tops of the poles together and space them apart in a square at the bottom to create the teepee frame.

2. Wrap a rope randomly back and forth around the poles where they intersect. Tie the rope when the frame feels steady.

3. Cover the rope and the area where it meets the poles with hot glue. Then, let the glue cool and set.

4. Lay your sheet on top of the frame so that the sheet touches the ground on both sides and a long corner protrudes like a tail from the back.

5. Mark the center of the sheet and cut a hole just large enough for the top of the poles to stick out from.

6. Make sure the placement of the sheet is still intact and then secure the poles inside the hole in the sheet using hot glue.

7. Place a line of hot glue along the bottom of the front right pole and attach the sheet to it.

8. Do the same for the left front pole and continue on to the back left pole.

9. Take the long tail of the sheet and wrap it around the back right pole until the sheet is taut, then secure the sheet by making a knot and putting hot glue on it.

10. Cut a line up the center of the front of the teepee to create the flaps for the entrance.

Tips & Warnings

• To put the teepee away, you only need to lift it up so that all four poles stand straight and the sheet folds.

References

• Mom Ready: Teepee Time
• Colorado Yurt: Tipi History