If you haven't done one of these, it is actually quite fun to do. This was my first time building a pea teepee and it went very well; I did it with the help of my four-year-old son so it took a little longer than expected. 
I haven't downloaded the pics yet but will post when I do. That said, here is what I did.
1) Bought ten bamboo poles for $1 each from a lady on craigslist and a ball of biodegradable twine (is there any other kind?) for about $4 from the hardware store.
2) Borrowed a post-hole digger to dig the holes for the bamboo poles.
3) Planned the location. I picked a spot close, but not too close, to the house where I could easily see every aspect if necessary from the kitchen window. (My son is four so you might not need this level of supervision if your children are older.) The spot we picked is under an old tree so it will stay cool but still gets a bit of sun.
4) Laid out the circle for the poles. I ended up with a semi-circle due to tree roots and that pesky supervision thing; it's really more of a half-shell than a teepee but whatever...it works for us.
Now comes the hard part:
5) Dig the holes for the bamboo poles. USE A POSTHOLE DIGGER; this made it SOOOOO MUCH EASIER than using a shovel as you want the holes to be at least a foot deep.
6) Stick in the bamboo poles and fill the holes, tamping down the dirt firmly.
7) Start with two bamboo poles and pull them close to each other; you'll want the twine in hand at this point. Also our poles were tall (10ft; 1ft of which was in the ground) so I needed a chair or ladder.
8) Use the twine to secure these poles to each other. I used a figure eight method and then went around with the twine until I felt they were reasonably secure.
9) Do the same for the remaining poles, one at a time.
Ta-da! You're done! Plant your seeds! If, however, you have an...enthusiastic child who will be using this or you just want an extra bit of security, read on:
10) I then took the twine and started at the top to wind it in and out and around the poles until I reached the bottom creating a trellis between the poles or, as DS called it, "a spider-web!" The twine will loosen at the top as you tighten it at the bottom; you can just go back and pull it snug when you have finished. It's not climbable but I don't fear DS will knock it over first time out and it makes a nice trellis for the peas.
Lastly, we put a row of compost from the first pole to the last and planted peas in that. We have good dirt but it was a nice way to "finish" the teepee and show us definitively where we planted.
Notes:
We didn't use all of the poles but that is because we went with a semi-circle. A little better planning on my part would have prevented the surplus but we'll use the bamboo for other trellises and what-not.
Actual time to put it together: maybe an hour, probably a lot less. I had a great helper but you won't have the benefit of his experience.
It was best to put down the row of compost after we finished for us but if you are composting the entire area, you could use white clover or another ground cover for the "floor" inside. We left ours alone because the pine needles make for a nice forest floor.
I haven't downloaded the pics yet but will post when I do. That said, here is what I did.
1) Bought ten bamboo poles for $1 each from a lady on craigslist and a ball of biodegradable twine (is there any other kind?) for about $4 from the hardware store.
2) Borrowed a post-hole digger to dig the holes for the bamboo poles.
3) Planned the location. I picked a spot close, but not too close, to the house where I could easily see every aspect if necessary from the kitchen window. (My son is four so you might not need this level of supervision if your children are older.) The spot we picked is under an old tree so it will stay cool but still gets a bit of sun.
4) Laid out the circle for the poles. I ended up with a semi-circle due to tree roots and that pesky supervision thing; it's really more of a half-shell than a teepee but whatever...it works for us.
Now comes the hard part:
5) Dig the holes for the bamboo poles. USE A POSTHOLE DIGGER; this made it SOOOOO MUCH EASIER than using a shovel as you want the holes to be at least a foot deep.
6) Stick in the bamboo poles and fill the holes, tamping down the dirt firmly.
7) Start with two bamboo poles and pull them close to each other; you'll want the twine in hand at this point. Also our poles were tall (10ft; 1ft of which was in the ground) so I needed a chair or ladder.
8) Use the twine to secure these poles to each other. I used a figure eight method and then went around with the twine until I felt they were reasonably secure.
9) Do the same for the remaining poles, one at a time.
Ta-da! You're done! Plant your seeds! If, however, you have an...enthusiastic child who will be using this or you just want an extra bit of security, read on:
10) I then took the twine and started at the top to wind it in and out and around the poles until I reached the bottom creating a trellis between the poles or, as DS called it, "a spider-web!" The twine will loosen at the top as you tighten it at the bottom; you can just go back and pull it snug when you have finished. It's not climbable but I don't fear DS will knock it over first time out and it makes a nice trellis for the peas.
Lastly, we put a row of compost from the first pole to the last and planted peas in that. We have good dirt but it was a nice way to "finish" the teepee and show us definitively where we planted.
Notes:
We didn't use all of the poles but that is because we went with a semi-circle. A little better planning on my part would have prevented the surplus but we'll use the bamboo for other trellises and what-not.
Actual time to put it together: maybe an hour, probably a lot less. I had a great helper but you won't have the benefit of his experience.
It was best to put down the row of compost after we finished for us but if you are composting the entire area, you could use white clover or another ground cover for the "floor" inside. We left ours alone because the pine needles make for a nice forest floor.
