Have you ever wanted a tent canopy over your child's bed, but found commercially made ones either don't fit or are too expensive? Here's a low-cost alternative to turn a bedroom into a campground, or simply make your child a safe haven from monsters.
Step 1
Take the two poles and lash them to the center of both the headboard and footboard.
Step 2
Find the center of the sheet by folding it lengthwise. Clamp the centerpoint of one end of the sheet to the top of the pole at the headboard.
Step 3
Pull the centerline of the sheet taut and clamp the middle of the other end to the pole at the footboard. You should now have a rough tent shape with the corners drooping.
Step 4
Pull the sheet tight to each corner of the bed and secure with another clamp.
Tips
- Sheets need to be at least a size larger than the bed on which you're making the tent. Queen or king are ideal. You should be able to find something suitable at thrift stores for under $5.
- V-clamps (spring clamps) can be found at virtually any hardware store for around $1 a clamp.
Leave a clamp off one corner of the head of the bed to make entering/exiting the tent easier. - A headboard/footboard at least a foot or so above the mattress makes more room inside the tent. If they're nearly level, the interior volume of the tent will be much smaller, and all the room will be in the center of the tent.
Things You'll Need
- V-clamps
- Two poles. These can be virtually anything; broom handles, hockey sticks. Their height will be the height of the center of the tent.
- A large blanket or sheet. Erecting the tent may stretch out the fabric so use something you don't care about.
