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Tent facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Dining fly (tent)
A simple tent
Schweizerisches Zeltbesteck
Swiss tent equipment from World War II

A tent is a lightweight, movable shelter. It uses thin fabric to protect people from wind, rain, and cold weather. The fabric walls of a tent are held up by poles, usually made of wood or metal. Thin ropes, called "guy lines," help keep the tent stable. Both the tent and its ropes are often attached to the ground using pointed stakes made of plastic or metal.

What Are Tents Used For?

Tents are often used for outdoor fun like camping and hiking. They provide a temporary home when you are exploring nature.

Tents for Events and Emergencies

Very large tents are also used for special events. You might see them at outdoor weddings or circuses. Tents can also offer quick shelter for people who need it. This includes military personnel or people who have lost their homes due to a disaster.

Images for kids

  • Tent at High Shelf Camp cropped

    A modern two-person, lightweight hiking dome tent. It's tied to rocks because there's no ground for stakes.

  • 010 Conrad Cichorius, Die Reliefs der Traianssäule, Tafel X

    Roman Army leather tents, shown on Trajan's Column.

  • BerberTentZagora

    A Berber tent near Zagora, Morocco.

  • USArmyTent

    U.S. Army tent with a wooden entrance, air conditioner, and sandbags for protection. Victory Base, Baghdad, Iraq (April 2004).

  • Tent rigid poles

    A simple tented shelter.

  • Brody Tent fence 01

    A detailed view of an early 18th-century tent from a museum in Tarnów, Poland. It has rich Muslim designs and windows. This shows how luxurious tents could be for important people in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

  • Lowlands tents

    Different types of dome tents. Small dome and tunnel tents are popular for travelers because they are light and easy to set up.

  • Junjik Valley Man and Wall Tent picture from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.jpg

    A man and a wall tent in Junjik Valley. Picture from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, July 1973.

  • Wooden stake holding guy rope

    A wooden stake holding a tent rope.

  • Large Car Camping Tent.jpg

    A big family tent for car-camping, with a portable gazebo.

  • Car Camping

    A gazebo offers useful shelter.

  • Tents

    Typical lightweight and trekking tent designs: 1. geodesic tent, 2. dome tent, 3. tunnel tent, 4. ridge tent, 5. pyramid tent.

  • Tent camping along the Sulayr trail in La Taha, Sierra Nevada National Park (DSCF5147)

    Wild camping with a dome tent in Sierra Nevada National Park.

  • Nammatjknoydart

    A tunnel tent.

  • Inflatable tent

    An inflatable airbeam tunnel tent.

  • Boulanger Gustave Clarence Rodolphe C Est Un Emir

    A tent from Boulanger's painting C'est Un Emir.

  • CircusTent02

    The Big Top of Billy Smart's Circus in Cambridge 2004.

  • 2014 Prowincja Armawir, Zwartnoc, Namiot weselny (02)

    A wedding tent in Armenia.

  • High peak frame tent

    A typical 20'x20' high peak frame tent.

  • Renesansni festival, Koprivnica - šatori vitezova iz Češke

    Historical reenactment tents at Koprivnica Renaissance Festival, Croatia.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tienda de campaña para niños

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