Things You'll Need
Raffia
Craft sticks
Brown air-dry clay
Construction paper
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Glue
Traditionally, Africans have incorporated natural materials from their surroundings into the building of their huts or homes. Natural building materials may include mud and clay, grass or weeds, animal hides, animal dung, stone or sun-dried brick. The shapes, sizes and building materials of African huts can differ among countries and peoples. If you study African huts, you will notice that there are a variety of possible huts that you can create for a project. To make a basic African hut, you will need craft materials that resemble the natural materials used in African hut building.
Step 1
Measure a 6-inch diameter circle on the construction paper.
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Step 2
Cut out the circle from the paper.
Step 3
Fold the circle in half and cut a slit halfway into the center of the folded circle.
Step 4
Unfold the circle and glue the cut sides together to form a cone shape.
Step 5
Cut pieces of raffia 1 1/2 inches long.
Step 6
Turn your cone with its point facing upward and glue pieces of raffia all around the bottom of the cone.
Step 7
Glue pieces of raffia in a middle row around the cone directly above the first layer of raffia. Let the raffia rows overlap.
Step 8
Glue a third row of raffia around the top of the cone. Let the top row of raffia overlap with the second row. Your cone now looks like a thatched roof.
Step 9
Take a chunk of brown air-dry clay and shape it into a rectangle about 10 inches long and 2 inches high.
Step 10
Stand your rectangle horizontally on the table. Take each end of the rectangle and curve it into a circular shape, making sure to leave an inch or larger opening for the door.
Step 11
Press craft sticks vertically along the top circular edge of the clay to create sides for your hut. You should position the sticks side by side all around the inner edge of the clay.
Step 12
Take your raffia cone and place it on top of the craft sticks to form the roof. The point of the cone is the top of the roof.
Tip
Purchase raffia, craft sticks and brown air-dry clay from the craft store. Raffia is a natural grassy fiber that you can use in crafts. A possible air-dry clay that you can purchase is Crayola Air-Dry Terracotta Clay. Instead of using craft sticks, you can use twigs to make the upper walls of the hut.