DIY Kids Craft: Mini Treehouse

We've made some pretty cool craft projects over the years, but this one stands out as being particularly rad.

Our DIY mini treehouse takes a bit of prep work, some patience, creativity and a hot glue gun. But, the results will provide creative play for days, months or even years to come. The hardest part is not taking over this kids project yourself!

DIY Kids Craft: Mini Treehouse

You will need:

• Ply base (approx. 40 x 40cm)
• Branch—a largish one with a base at least 2.5cm in diameter and multiple ‘forks’ is good.
• Paint and paintbrush
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Hacksaw
• Drill, screw and screwdriver
• Fabric scraps
• Coloured card for leaves
• Paddle pop sticks
• String
• Seed pods / bark / dried leaves / straw–any interesting bits of nature you can find. (We made mushrooms from gumnuts and sticks!)

Creating your mini treehouse: step 1

Find a branch. A largish one with a base stem of at least 2.5cm in diameter. Choose a branch with multiple forks.  

Step 2

Drill a hole in the middle of the ply base.

Step 3

Saw the bottom of your branch so it has a neat flat end, and tape the bottom with masking tape so that it doesn’t split when it is screwed to the ply.

Step 4

Securely screw a screw into the hole and then into the base of the tree– this is usually a two-person job!

Step 5

Make your tree house bits and bobs and assemble! There are no rules or limits to what you can make and add to your tree–here are some ideas...

Mini treehouse bases 

You will need these for a fort base or the base of your a-frame. Using paddle pop sticks, start by making a square frame. Join each stick with a dab of glue. Once the frame is completed, add the paddle pop sticks as floorboards to form a platform. 

Add your platform to a fork in the tree. With a hacksaw, cut some small rivets horizontally into your tree. This will help ‘wedge’ the platform and keep it steady. Secure with glue. 

TIP: Invest in a cordless hot glue gun if you can! Kids and cords and hot glue can send you bananas! 

Making mini treehouse leaves 

Cut out leaves from coloured paper and stick to your tree! Maybe your tree is an autumn leaf tree and you use oranges and browns for your leaves. Or maybe your tree blossoms! For blossoms you could use scrunched crepe paper, tissue paper, painted gumnuts or mini pom-poms.

Creating a rope ladder

Decide on the branch you would like a rope ladder to hang from. Measure out 2 lengths of string to hang from this branch that will reach the ground. Cut even lengths of sticks for the rungs of your ladder. Attach each rung to the string with glue using a hot glue gun.

Bunting!

Cut shapes of scrap fabric or coloured paper and attach to a string with glue and hang between branches.

Creating your A-frame

Cut small pieces of bark and use as tiles on the roof. On one side of our a-frame roof we used a piece of fabric that can roll up, tent-style.

Furniture for your mini treehouse

See what you can create from paddle pop sticks and sticks and bark and other nature. We made a table and chairs. 

How about a hammock?

Cut a rectangle of fabric and wrap short ends around sticks and secure with glue. Attach string to either side of the sticks and hang up. 

Don't forget a swing!

Cut down some paddle pop sticks or bark to use as the swing base. Add two long pieces of string either side and secure at base.

TIP: we weighted our swing down by glueing a coin to the base.

Last steps: balustrades + steps

Add balustrades using sticks and string. Cut paddle pop sticks make great branch ladders up to higher levels!

 ///

DIY Kids Craft: Mini Treehouse was made by Beci Orpin and originally published in Lunch Lady Magazine Issue 23. Photographs by Jacinta Moore.