Make any day magical with Pacific Play Tents

If I were designing the perfect childhood toy, it would have two major components. First, it would inspire imaginations to encourage make believe and storytelling. Second, it would be open-ended so it could be played with in numerous ways, which means it would be played with often and be a beloved toy for years.

Take the Painting Teepee from Pacific Play Tents for example. This clearly isn’t just a high quality teepee, it’s a childhood haven. As you can see, it's the kiddos fort.

Their rocket ship that can blast off to parts unknown and float through space. A reading nook when they need some quiet time. A fire station that is perfect for my little fireman. … and anything else the kids dream up. See that heavy white cotton fabric just begging for kids to decorate it with whatever supplies they have on hand? That makes it easy for them to make it into whatever they want it to be. Whether they drape it with silks, cover it in flowers, tape up decorations, or they simply imagine the details they want. What makes the Painting Teepee so open-ended and perfect for creative play is the same reason why I also love it for esthetic reasons. With a complete lack of characters, decals, and color, this teepee is the perfect canvas for whatever color scheme we're rocking on any given month. It matches our spring decor, it can be dressed up for holidays and parties, and it blends in nicely with our everyday style, which means I don't mind having it set up often, either indoors or out to capture moments like this.Speaking of pictures, the bright white color also makes it the perfect prop for photoshoots since it allows you to get good, creative pictures of kids doing what they do best – playing and having fun. It's completely portable for on-location shoots and it brings out a dream-like whimsy that I love when capturing the small moments of childhood, all without taking away from my little subjects. But, the teepee isn’t just for tots. At 64” tall and four sides measuring 45” each, this is one of the biggest teepees I have ever seen, and can either fit an older kid, multiple young children comfortably, or even me with my two not-so-small children if we really want to snuggle. This bigger size will be awesome as they grow, but it also means the kids can bring whatever accessories or gear in with them now for all the games they dream up.

And, I haven't even gotten to the best part yet, the part where the Painting Teepee gets its name. Yes, you can decorate the teepee as we did with scarves and pennants, but you can also paint the teepee with the included paints to really make the teepee your own. Whether you go with a traditional pattern, a paintastic free-for-all, or you simply decorate, you can truly put your individual stamp on your teepee and it will become a one-of-a-kind piece of art.
We weren't quite ready to let the kids really let loose on this gorgeous teepee with paints, so we started small with them and always have the option of adding more. But, since all of their games they play in the teepee have some sort of adventure attached, we thought their teepee could use a "control panel" where they could utilize buttons and levers to help with their imaginative play.
By adding this one simple box, it has taken their playtime to a whole new level in the teepee. I hear them in there all day long making electronic sounds and button noises {which should not be confused with actual electronic and noisy toys that drive me crazy}. After seeing how much fun they have with this, I cannot wait for them to be old enough to really go for it and paint the whole thing up however they want. At that point the control panel is easily covered over, which means their teepee is still essentially a blank canvas for whatever art inspiration strikes them in the future and in the meantime the bright white teepee blends in nicely even in my formal dining room.

I bet you're wondering what happens when we have a dinner party with no teepees required. It's then that I can do one of two things: I can simply lift the teepee off the floor and roll it up in seconds and put it in a hall closet, or I can disassemble the teepee and put it back in the included carry case and within minutes it's put away. For my purposes, I simply lean the teepee against my hutch when we need the floorspace and then it can be set up in seconds by the kids because they have a hard time thinking of an event where a teepee would not be welcome and they both agree the hall closet is far too "put away". This is because forts, tents and teepees do more than just give another place to play – they give the kids a space of their own to let their imaginations take over. The right play space can make an ordinary day an amazing adventure or help your little one get lost in a book, all without leaving the house. Pacific Play Tents has the market covered on helping you create that special space for your little one and you can find just about any kind of tent you can imagine by searching their site.

From traditional tents, play houses, tunnels, bed tents, play mats, chairs, hanging canopies, accessories, and of course teepees, Pacific Play Tents has it all. And, not only do they have a huge selection of designs and styles, they are also dedicated to creating the highest quality play environments anywhere. In fact, they painstakingly test each item to insure long lasting playtime structures and not those cheapie tents that tear as soon as your kid crawls in it once. This is why they are consistently being named “best play value” and “toy of the year” by experts and parents alike.

Find out more by visiting PacificPlayTents.com and be sure to connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. You can order their products directly from their website, as well as find them in store at Target, Walmart and more.

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A big thank you to Pacific Play Tents for providing the Painting Teepee for us as well as a gift card for our fabulous readers. As always, all opinions are 100% ours.