How to Make a Camping Tent Out of Paper

Bring the "Great Outdoors" inside by building a model campsite. Use this art project to guide kids in lessons about campsite safety, wildlife, ecology and preserving the environment. At a new campsite, one of the first tasks on a camper's to-do list is to pitch the tent. Making a model paper tent is easy. You need a few simple art supplies, most of which you might have around the house, and a wide work surface.

Instructions

1

Rub a glue stick across the outside surfaces of the greeting card. Place the card in the middle of a piece of construction paper so the outside surfaces of the card are completely covered in paper. You should be looking at the inside surfaces of the card--the space where you often see the preprinted message. If you do not see this, then you glued the wrong sides of the card to the construction paper. Press the card firmly. Touch up with glue around the corners.

2

Cut away the excess construction paper around the card with scissors. Close the card, and press along the fold. Smooth out any paper wrinkles by placing the closed card on the table and firmly swiping your hand across the card.

3

Open the card and lay it flat for decorating. Use crayons, markers and other art supplies to personalize the outside of the "tent."

4

Turn over the "tent," and hold it like you would an open greeting card. Using a white craft glue of your choice, carefully squeeze a line of glue along the two vertical edges of the card. It is okay if some of the glue runs down the sides. The inside of this "tent" will not be visible easily once the greeting card is attached to the foam board.

5

Turn over the "tent" again, and place it on the foam board. When you do this, the greeting card will be standing on its side with the binding pointing up. It will look like an inverted "V." Add more white craft glue around the card and on the foam board if needed. Your have pitched your "tent." Allow to dry.