Igloo Tour (And The Tools We Used To Build It)

With the best winter weather in years I just can't seem to get enough "snow" to satisfy my needs which is something that's been building up inside me for many years... so many years just waiting for that next great storm. Finally this winter it has come in an abundance, almost back-to-back, and dashing some very deep snows on us week after week. Therefore I don't want to forget this great snowfall and all the adventure that it has inspired in my own wanderings of my woody trails and the opportunities that it has provided me as a teacher.


The first part of this video takes you on a short tour of our first igloo both on the outside then a good look at the inside of the ice walls. It is my hope that you will get a "feel" for an igloo by following me inside for a moment to see what it's all about. The second half of the video is a short review of the tools that we used to make and shape the snow blocks. Be sure and dress warm for this project and in layers so that you can peal them off as the work heats up your body. Also use plenty of caution during building the ice walls and after the igloo is finished because it will still be somewhat fragile until you allow it to freeze during the night. After the igloo has sustained freezing temperatures overnight the ice walls will fuse together quite nicely into one solid block of ice making the natural structure very strong.

Woodshop Has Gone "SnowShop" (Igloo update)

In accordance with recent history snowfalls like this don't come our way very often. Gosh it could be another 5 or even 10 years before we see snow like this again and we could even get 6 more inches of the white stuff before this weekend. With a sense of urgency in mind and being a teacher who doesn't like to let fantastic opportunities to learn new lessons "slip or slide" away, I therefore decided to insert some flexibility into my students schedule by making today's woodshop classes into "snowshop" class.

So many lessons can be learned by working with snow and those lessons can be just as much productive and powerful in teaching as when a student is learning to use his hands to build a wood box. In many ways I believe that snow crafting can introduce a student to some lessons that are even harder to grasp in a woodshop setting. For one thing igloos are much larger than anything that we build in shop class. An igloo is a project in building a shelter that the students gradually see transformed into a nice room with rounded walls that they can glean pride from having fashioned from the snow. From a bare spot in the forest to a rounded room that echos your voice is great evidence of internal learning that just can't be achieved in other ways. That is golden.

Somehow by using snow as a natural building material also seems to trigger something prehistoric in the participants. Snow is a natural material that humans have been using for temporary shelters for probably thousands of years. Snow isn't something that can be purchased at the local home improvement center but instead it is a natural material that is real and those who learn to skillfully form and carefully fashion the icy blocks into strong walls will learn a valuable lesson in resourcefulness and self-reliance. Knowing that you can build walls and roofs as protection from the earthly elements from something as simple as snow will instill another level of self confidence that is almost impossible to achieve inside the classroom. This is a real lesson in life that you have to learn in the woods and by learning to build useful things from naturally found materials and with your own hands.

Make no mistake about it because working with snow is very hard work. Some students, especially in the begining, will be turned off by this activity because they know that it will require much physical effort. Fortunately those students are mostly far and few between but in their own growth they will still learn by observing because the spirit in teamwork is hard to ignore. Human nature will usually help these students because everyone wants to be part of something and eventually their internal desire to contribute and to be a team player will win them over. When a group of people are working together as a team to accomplish a common goal by using their hands a higher spirit in cooperation will soon become so powerful that a bystander can not resist.

Therefore I challenge you to get your students (or children) outdoors once in a while so that they can learn the kinds of lessons that will compliment their chances of success in the conventional classroom. Turn off their video games and just do it then see for yourself!

Scout Class Building An Igloo

Since the North Carolina mountains received another one foot-plus of snow last Saturday I've had to alter my Boy Scouting classes for this week. I had planned for a natural science nature hike to work on 2nd and 1st Class rank requirements while also injecting an introduction to watersheds, landforms, and the three major rock groups. Unfortunately this exciting class that would have ended around a small ridge top campfire for a final quiz and discussion will have to be postponed for another week or two so stay tuned for an update.

With one door slammed shut I only had a couple of hours to come up with an alternate lesson plan and direction for my class. The day was damp with a slight drizzle in the air and about 10 to 12 inches of snow still covered our wooded paths. After a cup of coffee our educational coordinator told me about her experience with the United States Marines several years ago when her sergeant had them to practice their outdoor survival skills by building igloos after a two foot deep snowfall while stationed in Massachusetts. After some thought I got busy gathering several shovels and other tools for a class about igloos.

I had some old OSB board that I made an (18" long) X (12" wide) X (10" deep) box that had no top or bottom. As seen in the pictures we placed this box frame where the next "snow brick" would go, then proceed to pack snow into it and then finish by slipping it upwards leaving behind a nicely shaped block of snow. Originally this snowfall was dry-like and powdery but today's drizzle provided just the right dose of moisture to make the snow stick. Gradually the walls got higher and with each layer we had to also begin slanting the walls inward to make the roof. The kids also had to make some sculpting boards for shaping odd humps of snow smooth and for packing snow "mortar" in-between the snow bricks to make the wall one solid form.

Building the igloo was a somewhat messy job on this balmy February morning with a slight drizzle but the kids really took ownership of the project. I began with a short discussion about the origins of igloos and of course everyone related them to the native Eskimo people of northern Canada and Alaska. For many centuries these hardy and resourceful people have used the igloo as reliable shelter while on fishing and/or hunting expeditions while away from their tribes or villages. We also discussed how the igloo could be used as an emergency shelter when caught in a snowstorm in the wilderness and their ability to shield the body from deadly winter wind.

While building the igloo the kids came up with some brilliant questions. As he was packing snow mortar in-between the blocks of snow one student wondered how strong the walls would be. This provided an excellent opportunity for a casual conversation about how the ice blocks meet at the top of the igloo roof where the structural integrity is found by distributing the weight evenly in all directions.Questions like this are a teachers optimum opportunity to teach a lasting lesson because it was first generated by the students hands-on experience. We weren't in a warm classroom with beautifully organized desks with a teacher asking questions to the students from the front of the room... no, we were in a "real" classroom and the students were asking brilliant questions inspired by building an igloo with their own hands. This is the most powerful kind of learning and the kind of lesson that will last for a life time.

An hour goes by fast when you're busy building and learning so we didn't quite finish the igloo today and we still need to close-in the remaining 1/3 of the roof. Despite the cold, the wet, and the mess these kids worked hard on their igloo today. Although I don't have any scout classes scheduled tomorrow, at lunch they asked me if they could try finishing it tomorrow if they could work it into their schedule so I granted them permission. I wonder how many teachers in a sterile and warm classroom setting get asked this question by their students. Education can be an intense and a powerful experience when students are engaged with their hands and then inspired by their own curiosity and imagination.