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How to build your own fort!
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A great family outdoor activity you can do in either your garden or a woodland area is building a fort.
We are going to take you through our easy steps on how to create your base structure, Fill the gaps and create your own flag!
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Materials you will need
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Long straight branches and sticks (More than you think you will need, Trust us!)
Lots of smaller bendy sticks and twigs
Materials to fill and cover your fort (Dried Leaves, twigs and grass)
Ground sheet or blanket (somewhere cosy to sit off the ground)
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Teepee Fort
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Choose an area
First we will need to find a large tree which has a branch forking off quite low down. This will hold our fort in place. Once you have found a good location begin clearing the debris out of the way underneath (This is easier to do now before you build your full structure.)
Start Building
You have your materials, you found the perfect spot! Now its time for the fun start and begin building your fort.
Begin by placing your larger sticks leaning into the fork of the tree and than fan them out.
As you place more of the larger sticks make sure you secure them together to avoid any of them potentially slipping. We tie them together at the top near the fork of the tree with some string/twine.
The more sticks you add the more the shape of your fort should begin to take shape.
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Fill in the gaps
Now you have your base structure its time to start creating the walls. This is where your bendy smaller sticks and twigs come in handy. You and the family can begin weaving these between the larger vertical sticks. By weaving them in and out they shouldnt sleep and will begin creating walls.
When you feel you have added enough walls to your fort you can the cover them even more with leaves or a blanket to create more warmth and block out the elements.
For the little ones you can create a mini fort (this would be easier aswell for most UK gardens if you are limited on space!)
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Craft your own Flag!
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Once all of that is done it’s time to hang your flag! We recommend only doing this in your garden as we do not want anything left in the woods that might harm the wildlife.
Your kids can have lots of fun coming up with the idea for their flag and the drawing and colouring in can be a whole activity in itself if.
And there you have it! Make sure to tag us in your forts on Instagram with @CampWilderness. Be sure to have a read of our other at home bushcraft blogs!
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