Remember making a fort or teepee in your living room by draping old sheets and blankets over the dining room chairs, sofas and armchairs? Hours were spent in these magic hideaways pretending you were in castles, boats and rocket ships.
Nowadays, toy manufacturers and the like are very happy to sell pre-fab teepee kits ranging anywhere from $100 to $200. Ridiculous you say? Our thoughts exactly!
Below find detailed instructions on how to help your child construct their own personalized teepee for a fraction of the cost, if any at all (depending on what materials you might have lying around).
Of course you can still have them draping everything in sight, but this teepee is great for indoors or out, remains self-contained and storage is a snap. Plus once built, the kids get to decorate the "walls" of their hideaway.
A room of their own where they get to draw on the walls? What could be better?
SUPPLIES
Four Wood Poles (we used broom handles purchased at our local hardware shop for $4.99 each)
One Queen or King sized flat sheet
Rope or Twine
Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Scissors
Colored markers for decorating
INSTRUCTIONS
Fan out the sticks to form the shell of the teepee and tie together with rope or twine. You will need two people for this part of the project -- one to hold the poles and the other to tie the rope. There is no right way to do this, just weave the rope around the poles in a random fashion and when it feels secure, tie the ends in a knot. (photo #1 below).
Using a glue gun, cover the edges of the rope tied to the poles with hot glue. This will keep your teepee frame in place. Let glue dry for 10 minutes. (photo #2)
Drape the sheet over the teepee frame as shown in photo # 3. Make sure the sheet is touching the ground on at least three sides. The fourth side will be the front opening of your teepee. You must also have a corner of the sheet laying at the back side of your teepee like a tail (photo #4). You will need this "tail" later.
You will now need to cut a hole in the top of the sheet so that the poles can pass through the top, and the sheet will rest upon the teepee frame (photo #5). Mark the center on the top of the sheet draped over the frame (photo # 6) so you know where the hole will go. When cutting the hole, make sure your it is just big enough for the poles to fit through, otherwise the sheet will slip down too far on the poles.
Once the hole is cut, drop the sheet back over the poles so it lays on the frame. Again make sure your tail is at the back of the teepee.
Once your sheet is in place, use the glue gun to secure the top of the sheet to the four poles (photo #7).
Next, secure the bottom of the sheet to the poles with hot glue, starting with the front right pole and then continuing in a clockwise direction until you get to the last pole. Make sure that the sheets is pulled taut as you glue the sheet to the bottom of each pole.(photo #8)
When you get to the last pole, you will be left with some extra fabric (your "tail"). Instead of glueing the sheet to this last pole, pull the tail over to it and wrap it around the pole as many times as needed to make the back flap of the teepee taut. Secure by tying in a knot and then adding some hot glue to hold the knot in place.
Finally, cut a center slit up the front flap of your teepee four entrance.
Your teepee is now finished and ready for the kids to decorate and play in. Hand them some colored markers and let them go wild.
STORAGE
To store, simply lift teepee and fold poles into the center. Some hot glue may come off at this point but not the part you need to keep the teepee secure.
Next time the kids want to play in the teepee just open up the poles wide enough so that the sheets are taut and you are all set.
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| PHOTO #1
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PHOTO #2
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| PHOTO #3
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PHOTO #4
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| PHOTO #5
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PHOTO #6
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| PHOTO #7
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PHOTO #8
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