"How societies use and create spaces for children -day care centers, schools, theme parks, video games- determines how the next generation will see reality... "
Researcher David Sobel has found that forts, dens and bush houses have been prevalent in children's experiences in the various places around the world that he examined. "Sobel's cross-cultural research in environmental education suggests that, between the ages of six and twelve, what boys and girls want most of all is 'to make a world in which to find a place in which to discover a self.' However humble the shelter, these first getaways and solo vantage points live on in their memories and imaginations."*
At first, the play is mostly inside—making pillow fortresses, say, or walled off corners built with blocks. Around age 9, kids begin to want to branch out farther from parents’ view. A clubhouse in the bushes out back? Just the thing!
Developmentally, two big things are happening during these middle-childhood years to drive this play:
- They’re figuring out their nearby world. Kids want to learn how all the pieces in their life fit together—the landscapes, roads, neighborhood, home…and their place in it. “They want to piece it all together, like a puzzle,” Sobel says.
- They’re becoming more independent. Kids are also starting to create a separate self from the one defined by their family and their parents. They crave their own separate place in the world.
And oh, yeah, it’s really fun too…
Along with satisfying these strong developmental needs, kids get plenty of other fort-building benefits:
- Maturity, independence, and confidence
- Cognitive skills, like problem solving, planning, and imagination running wild
- Social skills, like cooperating and negotiating
- Practical skills; it’s like construction 101
- Lots of exercise, from all that building and play
- A love of the outdoors, and learning about the natural world
- Stress-release: A fort is, literally and figuratively, a defense against all the forces of the outside world (and a primo place to daydream)."**
How can adults support this kind of good play? When I search the internet for 'children's fort', many pictures of adult-designed and -made playground equipment come up. Those are a distant second best. Much better are the experiences of adults making the fort or den with children. Even better is simply making resources available for children to make their own, trial and error.
Here are two ideas for children (and their adults) to build a den together:
Forest Shelter
With an abundance of straight and forked branches, children can experiment constructing dens of various kinds. An adult can get them well on their way by showing them how to get a proven start. Select two fairly short and forked branches and set them up to form a vertical triangle, with the 'forks' joined at the top. Take a long, straight branch and wedge in in the joined forks of the shorter branches. You have just formed a 3D wedge that looks a bit like a one-person tent. The children are left to close in the walls with additional branches, grasses, pine boughs, leaves and so on. 
A Vine Teepee
The structure of vine teepees can be constructed of 1/2-inch rebar, 1/2-inch steel bar, or sturdy giant bamboo as described here.
Materials
Bamboo, poles or rods
Sitting logs
14 inch plastic zipties (8-10)
Spray paint
Shovel or pick axe
Hacksaw
Mulch
Step ladder
Measuring tape
Jute twine
Twist ties
Wooden stakes
 |
| gardeningknowhow.com |
- Determine location For vines to grow vigorously on the teepee, requirements for sunlight and well-drained soil need to be taken into account when locating the teepee.To create a space that 2-4 children can inhabit, the teepee should be approximately 8 feet across and 8 feet tall inside.
- Locate bamboo poles Or rebar, steel rods or long straight hardwood branches.
- Mark center and radius of teepee (eight-sided) Use a survey stake or survey flag to mark the center point of the teepee. Use a measuring tape and surveyors spray paint (or flags) to mark the radius of the teepee.
- Mark locations of poles.
- Locate the teepee entrance Determine where children will enter the teepee and position the layout of the poles on that location. The entrance should be 24-30 inches wide.
- Mark the location of first pole. After locating the entrance, position the first pole on one side of the entrance.
- Mark location of second pole. Position second pole opposite the first pole. Using an 8ft jute twine, trace a straight line from the first pole through the center of the circle to locate the second pole. Mark intersection of the circle on the opposite side.
- Mark third and fourth pole locations. Run twine through the center at a 90 degree angle to the line of poles 1 and 2. Intersections with the circle define locations of poles 3 and 4.
- Mark remaining pole locations. Bisect the circle between the first four poles and run twine through the center to locate poles 5 to 8.
- Dig holes for poles Dig holes approximately one foot deep and six inches in diameter for each pole.
- Create quadpod. Select the four largest bamboo poles and lay them on the ground so that their wide ends (bottoms) are aligned. Approximately 1 foot from the top narrow end, bind the poles together using a plastic ziptie.
- Bring quadpod upright and place in holes It is important to keep the poles together as you bring them upright and then place them in the holes. Align pole bottoms to be flush. The tops do not need to be flush because the bamboo poles can vary in size. Adjust quadpod until junction of poles is above center of circle.
- Partially fill holes of quadpod poles. Partially fill the holes to hold the quadpod poles in place, but also allow for adjustments to be made. Soil supports poles while finishing construction.
- Add additional poles and partially fill holes. Place additional poles 5 to 8 in their holes and lean them against the quadpod. Partially fill their holes with soil.
- Secure poles to quadpod. Using a plastic ziptie, secure the additional poles to the quadpod. A step ladder will be needed to reach the junction of the poles.
- Plant annual or perennial vines. Examples of annual vines are pole beans, cucumber, nasturtium and morning glory. They need to be planted in spring and watered throughout the summer. Examples of perennial vines are wild grape (be prepared to prune a lot) and trumpet vine (be prepared to prune some more). I wish I could recommend the beautiful Virginia creeper, but its berries are highly toxic. The two I did recommend are 'vigorous', meaning they can stand up to schoolyard conditions. They are best planted in fall, and then they're low maintenance, except for the pruning. If using perennial vines, it is probably best to use steel rods.
 |
| media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com |
All the while, remind all students of the rule that you can only break what you built, and watch the magic happen.
*Children's Special Places: The Role of Forts, Dens and Bush Houses in
Middle Childhood David Sobel, Wayne State University Press: 2001
**www.paulaspencerscott.com
Comments