Building a bivouac

Master the art of building a simple outdoor bivouac.

What do you need?
  • Long branches – newly cut green wood is best
  • A sharp knife for whittling – for adult use only
  • Twine
  • A blanket or plastic sheeting if you want to make the structure waterproof

As with any activity, they will need an adult to help them.

  • How many can do this?
  • Will suit what age?
  • How long does the fun last?

Give the kids a survival adventure with this brilliant shelter building activity.

Step 1
Step 1

To get started, you need to ‘coppice’ some green wood. This simply means going out and finding a straight sapling or manageable branch of a tree. Chop it off and cut into 3 x 40cm pegs. Sharpen the ends using a knife. These are going to be used to hold the shelter ropes to the ground (this should only be carried out by an adult).

Step 2
Step 2

Next, cut 3 x 2m lengths of string and tie these securely to three corners of your blanket or plastic sheet.

Step 3
Step 3

Fix the other end of the string to each of the three pegs, position these in the ground and bang each one in so that the structure gains tension.

Step 4
Step 4

Next find a long stick that you can use to prop up your fourth corner. Use the tension of the other three corners and create height with the stick as demonstrated in the picture.

Step 5

Finally, encourage the children to use the shelter and even bring in blankets and pillows to make it an enjoyable place to hang out.

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