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Habitat Builder

What do you know about animal habitats and shelters? Think about different habitats – what would a shelter look like underwater, in the desert or in the arctic? Some animals live in nests or holes in a tree, others might build a den out of snow or a lodge out of wood. Put your building skills to the test to build a life-size shelter for your Lodge or a smaller one just for you.

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Plan

  • Do you want to do this adventure indoors, outdoors or at camp?
  • Where will you build your habitat and shelter?
  • What do you need to consider when you are building your habitat? What will you need access to in your home?
  • What materials will you use?
  • How big will your shelter be?

Do

  • Design and build a habitat and shelter for your whole team!
  • Use different materials like blankets, tarps, chairs and poles to build a sturdy structure that could keep you warm and dry.

Review

  • What do you know now that you did not know before?
  • How well does your shelter protect you from the elements? Will it keep you dry? Warm? Out of the wind?
  • How strong is your shelter? How can you make sure it will hold up under strong winds or heavy rain and snow?
  • What other animals could live in your habitat?
  • How can you use what you learned at camp?
  • If you built a model habitat and shelter, how could you scale it up to make it life-size?
  • What did you like about this adventure? What did you not like? How would you do this adventure differently?
  • Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map

Materials

  • Cardboard boxes
  • Tarps
  • Blankets
  • Chairs
  • Tables
  • Rope
  • Tent poles
  • Other materials to build your shelter and habitat

Keep it Simple

  • Start small by building a mini habitat out of sticks, cloths and other small materials. What will your mini habitat look like? What supplies will you need to build it?

Take it Further

  • Go on a habitat hike and learn about different animal habitats. How do different animals build their homes?