This post is an extract from Wild Days, the fantastic new book by Richard Irvine. I’m going to start with an extract from the book which will teach you how to build a den with sticks. Den building is a really fun forest school activity that you can do with your family on your next trip to the woods. I’ll follow the extract up with more details of what to expect in Richard’s latest book.
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Den building
We like to feel at home wherever we are, and an outdoor adventure is no exception. Call it a base, fort, camp, shelter, cubby, camp, wikiup or a bird hide, making some sort of structure from sticks and leaves, tarpaulin and string is hard to resist.
Debris shelters
Building dens with sticks can be done in many different ways from just leaning long sticks against a trunk or horizontal branch. For a free-standing den, the forked stick is your friend.
Step 1
Find two sturdy forked sticks at least 3ft (1m) in length and a third one that is a bit longer. Lock the three forks together to make a self-supporting tripod. No string should be needed to hold this together.
Step 2
Lean thinner sticks against this frame to make rafters, leaving as small gaps as possible.
Step 3
Thatch your shelter with leaf litter, starting with a layer of leaves around the base and building it up like bricks.
Step 4
If you want to stay dry inside when it rains, the thatch will need to be about 12in (30cm) thick and slightly compressed with a few bigger logs on top of it.
Step 5
It is advisable to lean your weight on the shelter to check that it is sturdy. There will be quite a weight of wood used in the construction and you don’t want it to collapse on you once inside. Then all that’s left to do is sweep out any leaves on the floor with a broom (Instructions on how to make one are elsewhere in the book) and move in!
Out for a walk?
If I am walking in the hills or along the coast, I usually take an emergency shelter with me – just in case. These can be great for eating lunch on a wet, cold, windy day and create a cosy feeling of togetherness, boosting everyone’s spirits ready for the next part of the walk. They are also sometimes called group shelters, ‘Kisu’ or bothy bags and can be made or bought for groups as small as two people up to large groups of 12 adults.
Under a tarp
If you’re staying in one place for the day, you might want a shelter to keep yourself and your stuff dry, and also to feel at home. A lightweight tarpaulin with guy ropes is ideal and won’t take up much room in your bag. The simplest way to put one up is to tie a tight line between two trees using a timber hitch at one end and a round turn and two half hitches at the other (knot instructions are covered elsewhere in the book). Stretch the corners of the tarp out to make a ridged roof and tie guy lines to nearby trees. The tauter the material is, the easier it will shed rainwater and the less it will flap in the wind.
Wild days book review
Wild days is a gorgeous book for anyone who wants to get their kids outdoors. It’s packed with nature crafts and other things to do outside with kids. The book is a really good size and is filled with beautiful and inspiring photos. There are step by step guides to different knots and various crafts as well as den building above. All step by step activities have clear illustrations or photos to show you how to do it easily.
We love the campfire cooking ideas like ash cakes and things to cook on sticks. Of course, this section starts with really useful and detailed instructions for building a campfire.
Nature crafts in the book include woodblock stamps, campfire beads, houses for little people, hapa zome, natural inks and so many more. There is also a whole section on games and stories. It covers some of the classics like pooh sticks and skimming stones as well as more unique ideas like sound mapping.
The final section is all about exploring which includes a good introduction to star gazing, reading tree rings and pond dipping along with much more.
I love the mix of full colour illustrations and photos in this book. It’s a fantastic guide to getting kids outdoors for all parents. I also love that my kids pick the book up if I leave it around and they will choose things to do. This book is a must have addition to bookshelves of parents who love spending time outdoors in nature with their kids.
Wild Days by Richard Irvine, GMC Publications, RRP £16.99, available online and from all good bookshops.
Buy * it here from Amazon or from *Bookshop.org if you prefer to support independent books hops.
Where to next?
- Find 30 more fun things to do with sticks in this post. I don’t know about yours but my kids are forever collecting sticks on our walks.
- Find more fantastic outdoor activity books for kids in this post where I share my absolute favourites.
- If you want to give whittling a go, then you will love this book also by Richard Irvine – Forest crafts.