Popsicle Stick Tent Craft: How to Make for Camping Fun & More
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This popsicle stick tent craft is a fun and frugal activity for outdoor and camping themes.
Whether you're planning a summer adventure, a camping-themed day or week, or just need something fun to do on a rainy afternoon, this simple craft is a win. With just a few basic supplies, your kids can make their very own mini-tents with customizable backgrounds.
I'm sharing my tips and ideas for making and using these popsicle stick tents. Hope your children enjoy these project as much as my boys and I have!
Creative Way to Enjoy Outdoor Themes with Kids
In our state, we are required to cover fire safety each year in our homeschool. Instead of doing the same boring stuff for our homeschool portfolios, I've looked for new ways to teach my boys these important lessons and have some fun.
A few years ago, I put together a camping and fire safety unit study that was a big hit with all of us. In fact, I tweak parts of it to continue using at as the boys get older.
As I was preparing our homeschool portfolios for evaluations, I found one of our favorite projects that my younger boys enjoyed as part of this unit study - this popsicle stick tent craft! They had a blast making their tents together. And it turned out to be such a great hands-on activity for sparking all kinds of conversations about camping, fire safety, and outdoor fun.
Supplies You'll Need for This Easy Camping Craft
Before beginning this craft project with your kids, I suggest that you gather these materials. If you'd like your completed project to look like the pictures in this tutorial, you will need:
- Black construction paper (background)
- Colored construction paper (brown for logs, any color for the tent)
- Popsicle sticks
- Red, yellow, and orange tissue paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Marker
If you'd like a slightly different look to your popsicle stick tents, you can use other colors for the background (white or blue work well). Also, small sticks or twigs can be used in place of popsicle sticks. Decorative cardstock can add a neat texture and patterns for your tent fabric. And glitter glue (especially gold and silver) can be used for stars, moon, and sun.
Prang (Formerly Art Street) Construction Paper, 10 Assorted Colors, Standard Weight, 93 Otters 150 Sheets Tissue Paper, 14x20 Inch Tissue Paper for Gift Bags Multicolor Gift Wrap Supplies Bulk for Crafts Party Decorations Art ProjectsPerfect Stix - PS-114st-1,000 4.5Mr. Pen- Colored Popsicle Sticks, Wooden Rainbow Colored Popsicle Sticks for Crafts, 200 Pack, 4.5 Inch
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Your Popsicle Stick Tent
Create the tent base.
Cut a triangle out of construction paper (any color you like for the tent). Glue the triangle onto the black construction paper background.
Build the tent frame.
Line the edges of the triangle with popsicle sticks to create a wooden tent frame. Glue them in place and let dry.
Make the campfire and flames.
Cut two small rectangles out of brown construction paper. Glue them in an "X" shape beside the tent to form firewood. Cut small rectangles from red, yellow, and orange tissue paper. Crinkle each piece slightly for a realistic flame effect. Glue them to the top of the "X" shape to resemble a campfire.
Add details.
Use a marker (or glitter glue) to draw stars in the sky. Draw a line down the center of the tent to create an opening effect.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Popsicle Stick Tent Craft
This craft is perfect for kids ages 3 and up. Younger children may need a little help with the glueing and assembling of the sticks, as well as supervision. Older kids can do most of the work independently and add details to the background and their tents.
Absolutely! You can use small sticks, straws, or even cardboard to create the frame of the tent. Get creative with what you have on hand!
You can use markers, paint, fabric, stickers, or even small embellishments like pom-poms and sequins to make the tents unique. Your students can also add their names or draw pictures.
Cool Ideas for Making and Using Your DIY Paper Tents
If you have extra time or really want to take this activity to the next level, make your own camping scene with rocks, trees, and logs to sit on. Your kids can paint or draw a background for the sky. Stars as constellations and moon are awesome for a night sky. Clouds (cotton balls add excellent texture) and sun look great for day. If you're planning a camping trip, you could do a countdown with adding stickers to the background, too.
Want a realistic look for your tents? Consider using small sticks. Go on an outdoor adventure and find sticks or twigs that can be glued to paper.
When your popsicle stick tent craft is done, display on your refrigerator, window, cabinet, door, or bookcase. If you're doing this project with a group, place on a bulletin board or wall.
More Ways to Have Camping Fun with Kids
This simple popsicle stick craft featuring a tent can be just part of your camping fun with kids. Try some of our other easy ways to boost your learning adventures:
- DIY Campfire Craft
- Camping Color by Number Pages (Free)
- Free Printable Camping Word Search
- Log Cabin Popsicle Stick Craft
- Camping + Fire Safety Unit Study
⭐ This popsicle stick tent craft is a terrific activity for kids. How will you be using it? And what ideas do you have to tweak it? Please share (and any questions you may have) in the comments area at the bottom of this post!