How to Make a Teepee

The native Americans were more or less a nomadic tribe, and hence they needed to build houses that could be as easily moved from place to place. Enter the teepee. We all are familiar with that conical canvas like structure that native Americans used to live in. It used to be made out of a material that can keep the elements out and not get spoiled in the process.

Material Required and Their Use

Stuff You Need

• Canvas
• Scissors
• Wooden or any other poles of over 4 ft.
• A strong cord

Step #1
Arrange the poles in a cone. First put 3 of the poles to make a 3D triangle and arrange the other sticks around it. Now bind all those sticks with the cord.

Step #2
Now first you have to cut the canvas with the scissor into a semi-circular shape. The idea here is that when the teepee is ready, the edges of the semicircle should overlap, forming the teepee. So make sure that the semicircular canvas is long enough to enclose an area which 2-3 people can easily occupy and at the same time is tall enough so that it can be hung on the poles.

Step #3
The third step is to make the required cuts into the canvas. Make small cut at the base of the canvas which can be your entrance. This can be done once the canvas is draped over the sticks so you know where exactly to make the cuts and what size they should be made of. The next little cut you will need to make is for the smoke flaps on two opposite sides of the teepee. The flaps can be kept open by keeping a small wooden stick between the flap and the opening.

Step #4
The last step is to punch holes in the edges of the teepee and run the cord through it so it stays tied up. And there. Your teepee is ready.

Making a Teepee out of Paper

Stuff You Need

• 3 twigs
• Twine
• Brown paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Step #1
First step is to lay the foundation for it. So now take the twigs and tie their top using the twine. Now spread the ends of the twigs apart. This is the outline of your teepee.

Step #2
Next trace the size of the part of the sticks under the twine. Measure its size. Now roughly try and trace the same triangle on the brown paper. Draw three triangles as your teepee will have three sides. Now cut the brown paper along the outline.

Step #3
Once you form your brown paper pyramid, hold it up against the twig and twine teepee to check if the size is ok. In case it is, cut a small portion of the top of the pyramid off so that the top of the twine can pass through it. Now use the glue to stick the edges of the teepee together and your paper teepee is ready!

Step #4
You can also decorate your teepee by taking a couple of crayons and drawing some nice designs on the brown paper cover of the teepee.

Making the teepee, whether real or paper, is a fun activity for the entire family. So have fun with it.