I’m in the process of teaching my kids about history—French history but also American. The other day my daughter asked me about the Wild West, cowboys, Indians (Native Americans), and law enforcement around that time. So we look into some books; we read a couple of great stories and learned a lot about that time–the culture, food etc. After all was said and done, I was happy to report that both her and I learned a lot. I wanted to continue learning in a similar way so I found a pack of Wild West figurines in my local toy store. I took the Native American ones because I thought the colors used for their garb were the most attractive. I figured I would be able to teach the kids with the figurines while having fun at the same time.

After a few days back home I thought, What can I do with these? Maybe I can try to create a fun and colorful teepee village? That way the figurines will integrate with the background and a whole new story will take place. The fantasy fun starts here. I designed a teepee template and printed out a few for the kids to decorate. I also decorated my own version. At the end we all put our teepees together, took the figurines out, and started to play. I have to admit, it was a fun game to play after learning what we had from the books before. Summer is not over yet, and we have many more games and toys to explore! But if you like combining the learning and playing experience (like we do), I recommend this craft!

• Printed template (download here)
• Colored construction paper
• Scissors
• Skewers
• Precision knife
• White-out
• Stickers (optional)

Step 1
Have all your supplies ready, including the printed and cut template. Use your template as support to redraw on your construction paper. Cut if necessary.

Step 2
Now the fun part: decorate. Use any crayons, white out, or stickers, to make your own version. Let dry.

Step 3
Start to fold each part, as shown in the picture.

Step 4
Now use your template and make some slits with your precision knife. Take your skewers and pass them through the slits.

Step 5
Close your teepee, and voila!

Have fun playing and learning with your village!