DIY children's tents: 3 easy ways

Types of Chinese tents

Products from the Middle Kingdom are in demand all over the world - they are cheaper than analogues from other countries, and sometimes are in no way inferior in quality. This also applies to tents. There are 3 types of them:

• Automatic or semi-automatic. Their advantage is fast, simple installation, taking only a few seconds. You just need to take the mini-tent out of the case. The rods will straighten, the fabric will stretch - everything is ready. They differ in bottom area and number of places.
• Fishermen's. It is an indispensable attribute of winter overnight fishing. They have more durable material, an insulated bottom and additional compartments for gear.
• Tourist tents. Great for camping in any conditions. There can be both automatic machines and stage-by-stage assembly.

Keep in mind that the characteristics of the tent will also depend on its material.

DIY children's tent house

A children's room is a temple of naive spontaneity, unbridled laughter and uninhibited imagination. Remember how, as children, we built tent houses from chairs, sofa cushions and blankets, and then played in them for hours, imagining ourselves as princesses or robbers, captains or Indians? And our children do exactly the same, inventing a thousand adventures.

All kids love secluded corners and houses. They are created using everything that can be found in the apartment: pillows and blankets, tables and chairs, drawers and boxes, and much more. Therefore, in order for you to be able to use your sofa for its intended purpose, make a playhouse-tent for your children.

This small tent is the perfect place to play, read and sleep. And when the children are finished with their entertainment, the house can easily be folded up and put away, which mothers will really like.

The design of the tent-house is extremely simple. It is an A-frame made from several wooden planks and dowels.

Older children can be involved in making the house, then they will enjoy not only the subsequent play in it, but also the joint creative process with their parents.

You will need:

• 4 flat boards for a triangular design.
• 3 round slats (dowels) with a diameter of approximately 2 cm.
• Drill.
• Textile.
• Scissors, tape measure.

1. Saw the boards to the required length (determine it based on the height of the children and the place where you plan to place the tent). If necessary, sand the boards thoroughly; splinters are unlikely to be pleasant.

2. On each board, drill 2 holes with a diameter equal to the diameter of the round slats - one on top, the other on bottom.

3. Insert round slats into the holes as shown in the picture.

4. Measure the height of the tent and cut a rectangular piece of fabric, adding 20 cm (10 cm at each end for fastening). Hang the fabric on the top rail and secure the sides to the bottom rails.

Further textile design depends only on your desire, imagination and sewing skills. You can add a back wall and curtain doors.

You can put a lot of necessary things in the pockets on the inside or outside of the fabric walls: toys, books, albums, markers. And it will be easier for the kids to maintain order.

Young ladies will especially like the windows, just like in a real house. Add a soft rug or mattress, as well as decorative pillows, and a cozy house is ready. If necessary, consider lighting, for example, if a child wants to read in a tent.

And in the summer, the tent house can be taken to the dacha and placed on the green carpet of the lawn. On hot days, this children's “home” will create a light, pleasant shade.

Traveling by car? Since the children's house-tent is easy to fold and assemble and takes up little space, it can be taken on a trip or even to the beach.

A play tent is one of the easiest DIY projects you can make for kids. It is also an ideal refuge for any child, providing many hours of fun games and imaginative adventures.

• Author: Natalya Zyryanova
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How to fold a Chinese tent into a ring

Automatic tents are made from steel rods and polyester, which gives them an advantage in assembly. In the store, before purchasing, they show you how to properly assemble a Chinese tent. But in field conditions, this process becomes more complicated than it seems. Therefore, it is better to assemble it at home before going into nature, so that there are no problems.

Necessary:

• Place all the edges of the semi-automatic machine together so that it becomes flat.
• Place the resulting figure on a flat surface, pull one of the ends of the tent in your direction.
• Press it to the opposite side, the arcs will twist and be shaped like a figure eight.
• All that remains is to tighten the rods so that they turn into a circle. Then you can put it in a case.

Balcony decoration

A child's playroom should have shelves or a closet for toys. We paint it a cheerful color. The walls can be decorated in the same spirit, hang a photo of the baby or pictures with animals. We lay soft material, carpet or special puzzles on the floor.

We take care of the safety of materials, because the room is being prepared for children. It is better to hang curtains on the windows, especially if the balcony faces the sunny side. It will simultaneously perform a decorative function and protect the child from the sun.

It’s easy to make something beautiful and useful for a child with your own hands. The main thing is to have a desire and show imagination.

Related article: How to make a bench for your home yourself: wood, stone, metal

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How to assemble a winter tent with a figure eight

Winter model shelters are made from more advanced materials. Mostly synthetic fabric is used - lavsan, polyester, nylon.

To fold a Chinese winter tent, a similar method is used as for an automatic one. The corners are folded diagonally towards the middle. The shape is a square. The diagonal ends are taken in the hands - the upper left corner with the left hand, and the right corner with the right. Next, a circular movement is made - left away from you, right towards you. The tent rolls up into a circle and fits comfortably in the cover.

How to fold a children's tent into a ring

Children should have their own space in which they can spend time alone or with friends. A children's mini-tent has many differences from ordinary camping shelters. This includes the presence of numerous tunnels, the general shape of the structure, and the colors. It may have several exits or additional compartments.

Installing such structures is simple - automatic opening occurs in a few seconds. But some models are quite difficult to assemble. To simplify the work, it is better to know some of the assembly diagrams that the seller provides.

Children's tent "House"

There are only two ways. First:

• Standing opposite any of the walls of a square house, you need to grab the opposite edges of the square.
• It is important to push the rib that is in the right hand to the opposite corner. Folding will cause the mini tent to collapse.
• Position the house so that the roof faces forward and the floor faces you. Hands move towards each other, raising the right hand above the left. The frame, consisting of wire, will curl into a figure eight if the hands are connected.
• Place the resulting small rings one on top of the other. Now the tent can be placed in its cover.

The second method is used if the automatic tent cannot be folded into a figure eight:

• Fold up the walls of the house.
• The “floor” of the house rises upward, holding the side part (wire edge) with your left hand.
• The side wall is pressed against the raised part, which is held in the visual center by the right hand, and folds, as if wrapping around an invisible axis.
• The result is a ring shape, and the resulting second part is pressed against it.
• The circle is ready.

How to assemble a children's round tent “Princess Castle”: action diagram

Is it really possible that such a large and luxurious castle can also be hidden in a small round container bag? Exactly.

The Princess Castle belongs to the category of frame tents that are assembled according to the principle of adult tourist tents.

1. Remove the vertical stick from the frame. They hold the turret cylinder in a vertical position.
2. This long stick consists of several small ones, attached to an elastic band. Fold them up.
3. Do the same with the rest of the frame sticks of your castle.
4. You are left with a round base and a round top of the tower. Connect them to each other. Tuck the cylinder panel inside.
5. Grasp both sides of the circle with both hands. And again make a figure eight - turn one hand down and the other up.
6. Connect two figure eight circles.
7. Use an elastic band attached to the base of the tent to secure the resulting structure. The lock is ready to “hide” in a round case.

Children's tent "Princess Castle"

To fold such a mini-tent, you need to know that its structure is slightly different from an automatic one. The frame consists of sticks stretched over an elastic band. They support the shape of the house. To assemble it you need:

• Pull out the stick supporting the dome of the tower (it is located in the center) and fold it.
• Take out all the sticks and also arrange them.
• The remaining base and tower fold up. The canvas must be carefully tucked inside.
• If you take the opposite parts of the circle and turn it, you get a figure eight.
• Connect the parts together and secure with an elastic band. Assembly is complete.

Varieties

Play tents come in many different forms. Most often they look like small houses, but models made in the form of cars, buses, and ladybugs are also popular. There are also more complex designs in which several individual tents are connected to each other by a textile tunnel pipe. But despite all this diversity, all playhouses can be divided into two groups:

• frame play tent. This tent is installed using special tubes. Individual frame elements are inserted into special grooves in the textile house and secured with ties or Velcro. Approximately the same principle is used in the manufacture of large tourist tents;
• a wire tent does not require frame assembly. It is made of thin but durable wire, and is already sewn into the tent. Due to these stiffening ribs, the playhouse keeps its shape.

The process of assembling a house depends on the features of its design. The frame house is quite easy to put together. You just need to untie the ribbons and remove the base sticks. All frame parts are packed in a box, and then the canvas is simply folded.

How to fix a tent

The main type of failure that can occur during camping conditions is damage to the panel. It is usually made from polyamide and polyester fibers. They are resistant to stretching and tearing, but do not tolerate fire or punctures.

Experienced tourists advise carrying reinforced tape with you; with it you can easily repair any microdamage.

At home, you need to carry out more thorough repairs. You just need to find the right fabric and glue. The best adhesive is Moment Crystal (it is specially designed for working with synthetic materials). Any piece of synthetic fabric will be suitable for the patch.

Before applying the glue, the surface around the puncture is degreased. Next, glue is applied in an even layer and a patch is placed.

After installing the patch, wait 10 minutes at room temperature.