How to make a teepee for your kids to create a fun space for them to play.
What you need:
Garden canes –we chose straight garden canes about 4 foot high – choose depending on the size and amount of kids that want to play there. And check the ends: you might want to rubber tip or soften sharp/rough bits
String
Ribbon/wool – this is for decoration, so anything you have hanging around.
A child’s hoop – to make your structure strong
Wire - to create a door (optional)
Thin rags - to wrap hoop and wire if required
A thin piece of fabric - to be attached with a peg (we used a piece of net curtain )
A peg - we used a decorative rabbit one we had, but a normal clothes peg would work just as well.
When our children were small, it was fun to keep them amused by making different spaces for them to play and it is really easy to do. Recently we made one at MollyMac to show off our cushions because what play teepee would be complete without some cushions? And, obviously, MollyMac ones are the best choice!
So I started by wrapping a hoop – the kind made of plastic that you can buy in a toyshop - and I wrapped it in thin rags, tying it with string at intervals to keep the rags in place . Then I got the garden canes together in a tipi shape by holding them together and letting the bottom of the canes splay out to create my classic tipi shape. I tied the top with string. It wasn’t too hard to drop the hoop down from the top until it could not fall further and tie at every junction the hoop and the canes crossed. This makes your tepee strong enough and sturdy enough for the bustle of play. Try to get the hoop to fall high enough, so that the access is easy. I made mine for 1-3 year olds could get in which suits our family perfectly. If your kids are older, use taller canes and a bigger hoop.
This is optional, but I then made a wire circle with a few loops of garden wire to create a door which I also covered in rags and tied this to the canes. This was to create a pretend door and then I began to decorate by wrapping the structure in decorative ribbon, string, wool and trim that I had lying around.
This process could be ongoing and you could make your space much more enclosed than we have or leave it open like we have done. I also hung a few child- friendly ornaments to make the space a little bit more magical.
And your weaves can go from one cane to another,
It is a good idea to have a piece of ribbon or string going across from one cane to another just above the door so that you can peg on some fabric for shady play or a more playhouse-like feel.
It looks great with a piece of fabric clipped on with the peg too!
Now all you need is a few MollyMac cushions for comfort.
We themed ours with the flamingo, bird and LOVE designs - don’t they look great
MollyMac has lots of cushions to choose from, so you can theme your tepee with your favourite – choose from these:
Tag us an image on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with @MollyMacLiving when you have made your own teepee, so we can all share in its loveliness.