Well, March Break (or Spring Break) has arrived! At least here where I live our schools are enjoying some time off. A time where we get to take a break from school and work to relax and spend some time together. Did you know that Spring Break is recognized around the world? Most countries place the weeks vacation around Easter, allowing students to have a week of time with their families to celebrate. Some countries have even specified that this time is for enjoying winter time activities with family and friends.
In Canada, the break for elementary students usually occurs during the month of March depending on where you live. In the United States, the break typically occurs in the week leading up to Easter.
The time off from school, however, allows for a great opportunity to engage in some fun family STEAM activities. And what can be more exciting than working as a family to build a fort inside (or outside) of your own home! Growing up, my sisters and I used to do this all the time and would even get to spend the night together in our structure. At family gatherings, we cousins would build snow forts and have snowball fights with each other or the neighbour kids.
Forts can be fun and exciting. So this weekend, or during the week, challenge your children to design and build their own fort. The only items you are allowed to use are:
- Indoor Forts:
- Blankets
- Pillows
- Chairs
- Couches
- Tables
- Outdoor Forts:
- Snow
- Twigs
- Fallen leaves
- Outdoor furniture
- Other items found around your yard (with your parent’s permission)
FREE PRINTABLE
Use the provided sheet to help to guide your thinking and planning. For older children, challenge them to build a fort for a specific purpose (e.g. reading nook, sleeping quarters, their own “house”). Once they are done and have had time to play in it, reflect on the building process and all the challenges that they may have had to face and how they worked to overcome them. (It’s okay for children to fail and face challenges, it gives them a chance to develop their problem-solving skills.)
Click Thumbnail below to print the activity sheet.
