backyard teepee

I don't know how it came up but somehow Naiya and I got to talking about teepees.  When I remembered that we had a bunch of bamboo poles out in the garage, I gathered them up and threw together our new favorite play space in about five minutes. 

It's six support stakes of greatly varying length, a couple of feet of jute rope (to hold them all together at the top) and two sheets (held on by a couple of clothespins).  Voilà!  We've got a neighborhood in our back yard.  (The playhouse next door is currently out of favor.)

On the first day she immediately filled her new abode with all the stuffed animals and dolls from her room and had a party.  Of course everyone required special outfits, so we spent nearly two hours in wardrobe before the festivities began.

After a while Frodo wandered in to relax in the shade.  No one escapes the ministrations of a girl in the midst of a dress-up extravaganza though. 

Despite the look on his face, he didn't seem to mind and after a time simply closed his eyes and went back to sleep with this ridiculous hat still perched on his head.

Every day since its arrival, we have enjoyed breakfast, snack and hours of play time inside and around this simplest of temporary dwellings.  It's continually amazing how little enclosed hidey places create so much interest and wonder for small and large children alike.