With the cold weather upon us, the kids and I have been talking about how the animals are holding up. We discovered a den made by a skunk under the wood pile and had a long discussion about what made that place a good shelter for the skunk. The kids decided that they would like to try their hand and making a shelter of their very own. It was truly amazing.
We decided that our shelter had to be made from materials which were already available to us. The wood pile provided an excellent source of building materials. We began by stacking the sticks in a ‘C’ shape, to give us an easy way to get in and out.
It took some trial and error to make all the pieces fit right. The children would wiggle and wedge the branches in to just the right place so that they would stay secure. Several times in the process, I would come and press down on the three walls of the structure to make sure it was sound.
Once the sides of the structure were built the children decided that we needed a roof. Part of a good shelter is its ability to protect you from the elements, after all. Once again the children searched out the wood pile. They found long curved branches to lay across the top of our three walls. However, once they sat inside they found that sun and rain could still get through. They decided what we needed was shingles. The children explored the forest to look for stumps and fallen trees. They peeled curved pieces of bark off the stumps and laid them across the curved branches.
This project has taken weeks. Every time we are outside the children decide they have more to add. They have stuffed evergreen branches in to the holes to help protect from the wind. They have added a floor and decorations. This shelter has been a castle, a house, a fort, and a hibernation den.
More importantly, this shelter has been a lesson in problem solving. The children tried and failed and tried again. They worked together, they disagreed, they compromised and they created something amazing. I am so proud of them.
~Kristin
