Housebound With Kids community member, Amy, from Walsall, explains how her Dad went all out to make this cosy wooden teepee for the garden. Great!
What did you your Dad do?
I’d spotted some posts on a Facebook group about families creating teepees out of old cots and I loved this idea, so I messaged my Dad jokingly asking him to build me a teepee for our 9-month-old. 2 days later it was completed.
He constructed the frame first and used tongue and groove slip lap wood for the panels. He painted it in an outdoor paint but has told us to use some tarpaulin to cover it over just to be on the safe side.
One issue that did arise was that it was too big to fit through our garage doors into the garden, so it had to be lifted up and carried over the garage roof (a 2 car garage). Any future projects he’s going to plan around entrance points first.
For the cushions, I used an old duvet and covers, cut them down to size, and sewed them together with my sewing machine, as well as some old pillows too. The drapes are from B&M (cheap and cheerful).
Tell us all a bit about yourself…
My name is Amy, from Walsall, West Midlands, UK
I have 1 child, 9 months old.
I’m a teacher, so I’m not fully locked down as I have to go to work, but the days I am at home are all just rolling into one. I’m finding it very difficult to keep my 9-month old entertained daily. My husband is a police officer so he isn’t here most days because of his shift pattern, so that makes the days even longer.
Do you have any tips for others?
Not any tips as a parent, as I’m still learning myself, but my tips as a teacher would be read! Read as often as possible. It doesn’t have to be all about this home learning that schools are setting, but if you read with your children this will help them immensely when it comes to their work when they are back in school. Reading impacts all areas of school, so just read, read, read. Get that imagination flowing and their creative juices will follow.
