Spring is the perfect time to do something new and exciting outdoors. We’ve come up with a great way to get really creative with used garden furniture – or I should rather say, it is garden furniture now!
This is a simple little project, but oh my goodness, it is incredibly effective! Since I’ve put up our trampo-teepee-swing, my kids have been playing with little else. It has been a tent, a fort, a boat and a spaceship – and that’s just in the last week!
Search on Gumtree for:
a small gym trampoline *
You will also need:
- 8mm thickness outdoor rope (we used 30m) cut to 5 lengths of 2m each and leaving the rest of the rope to secure to a branch.
- 2x carabiner clips
- a teepee (see our DIY tutorial here!) or a sheet
- some clothes pegs
HANDY HINT: for a cool little reading corner for older kids, throw in some soft pillows too! you can also use a big trampoline and make it fun for the whole family – provided you have the space ofcourse!
*Why use a trampoline?
- It’s round, so makes for a safe shape without sharp corners
- It is incredibly strong while still allowing some flexibility for robust play
- the edges are already covered with soft padding, reducing risk of injury.
- It has some very handy spaces on the bottom to tie the rope to.
- When you consider the above, it really doesn’t make sense to use anything else!
STEP 1: Choose a thick branch that will be able to hold a lot of weight, and secure the rope to it by looping it around the branch a couple of time and then knotting the 2 free ends together to create a loop. Make sure that you get the height right otherwise you’ll need to re-knot a few times. Then clip one of the carabiner clips through the loop.
STEP 2: Unscrew the trampoline legs.
STEP 3: Securely tie 5 pieces of rope at equal to the underside of the trampoline. Tie it to the metal pieces that are threaded through the trampoline mat rather than the around the springs. Use double knots – you don’t want this to come loose mid-flight!
STEP 4: Turn the trampoline right side up and knot the 5 pieces together, creating a loop.
STEP 5: Clip the other carabiner clip through the loop.
STEP 6: clip the 2 carabiners together
STEP 7: Wrap the teepee or sheet around the ropes to create a little tent, securing the fabric with clothes pegs. Click here for a full tutorial on our teepee!
I’ve removed the teepee in bad weather and it is still a hit – we hope that you have loads of fun with your teepee-swing too!
Happy Playing!
