NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/985091
D o you dream of building your own ultimate fort? Maybe you want a special place to play or hide? Forts provide shelter from the weather, a secret hiding spot, outdoor nook to read a book, or a clubhouse for friends to hang out. Outdoor forts are a lot of fun and easy to make. Summer is the perfect time to break out your fort-building skills. Using only a few supplies, you will soon have your own outdoor hideout! INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Find the best place – Locate an area with large trees and low-hanging branches, fallen logs, bushes, a swing set structure, or clothesline poles to serve as your scaffolding. If this is not available – an open area in the yard of your choice will work. Large branches leaning in on each other can make a base for your fort. 2. Gather materials – The best forts are built using natural materials found outside – fallen branches, sticks, twigs, fallen leaves, mowed grass, etc. Your fort also can be made with pallets, rocks, recycled lumber or even snow. 3. Start building – Arrange your taller branches vertically on a tree, securing the top of the branch directly up against a "Y" shape within the tree with the base of the branch angled out. Use a clothesline pole or swing set as your main frame if no tree is available. Tie branches together with string or rope for added support. Close in your fort with lightweight sticks around the outside frame. Don't forget to leave a space open for your door. 4. Fill fort and decorate – Unleash your imagination; make the inside of the fort your own space. Use leaves, grass, vines, clippings, or bark as your floor. You could sit on a pile of leaves, tarp or stump for a seat. 5. Do not stop building – Your fort should be an ongoing project. Continue to fill in the sides with twigs as they fall onto the ground. Make the fort as big as your imagination. interesting notes for readers of all ages by Monica Macoubrie and Donna Schimonitz Build a Fort – Make it Your Own! By Julia Plugge, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission junior journal junior journal junior journal Compass plant photo by Jon Farrar NATURE CALENDAR Watch the Perseids meteor shower: July 17-August 24, 2018 Compass plants can be found all across the prairie: all summer Grasshopper eggs hatch: middle to late June Look for robins and other songbirds molting: late August through September Tree ID Identify the leaves in each photo as cottonwood, maple, bur oak, ginkgo, black walnut or American elm. Answers, top to bottom: GINKO, AMERICAN ELM, COTTONWOOD, BUR OAK, MAPLE, BLACK WALNUT from NEBRASKAland‛s Trail Tales magazine for kids JUNE 2018 • NEBRASKAland 53