How to build a lean-to shelter in case of an emergency – or for fun

A nearly completed lean-to shelter.

Use branches, bark
to keep rain, wind off you

If forced to stay a night in the wilds – or as just a fun activity to do while hiking with teenagers – knowing how to build a lean-to shelter can be a life-saver.

As to staying a night in the wilds, you may need to shelter to keep rain and wind off you as well as to provide a sense of security. As to hiking with teenagers, learning how to build a lean-to can provide a number of great learning opportunities that gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Roof beam
The first step is to make a roof beam. Find a log that is about three feet longer than the body length of the tallest person in the hiking party. Remove any branches from the log.

Prop one end of this log between a tree’s trunk and one of its low-lying branches, preferably one that is about four feet off the ground. The other end of the log goes between another tree trunk and its low-lying branch. Be sure to select a spot that is flat and high with no water flowing below the placed log’s two ends. Also, check the wind’s direction; you don’t want the log ends to be facing into the wind but instead want the log’s width to.

If you have rope, lash the two ends of the logs to their respective tree trunks so that the roof beam is more stable.

Rafters
Next, collect several dozen small tree branches, about an inch or so in diameter and five feet high. Strip these branches of any smaller limbs or leaves. Separate the stripped branches so that the thinner of them are in one pile and the thicker ones are in another.

Lean the thicker of these tree branches at a 60 degree angle against each side of the roof beam. Alternate them so a branch is on one side of the beam, the next branch is on the opposite side, the third branch is on the same side as the first one, the fourth branch is on the same side as the second, and so on. Keep the branches about an inch apart. These are your rafters.

Insulation
Weave the smaller branches horizontally through the rafters on each side of the roof beam. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the top. Alternately, birch bark can be used. Insulation can be added by piling leaves, bark, or pine cones against the weaving on the rafters.

Flooring can be added by placing pine boughs or mats of moss on the ground. If you have a tarp, use that either as flooring or as flaps for the lean-to’s open ends.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Activity for hiking kids: Flower Headband

Dandelions are a perfect flower for making a headband.
Photo courtesy of mindweb / Photoree.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among those great for a rest stop is making a flower headband.

Begin by having your child pick flowers seen along the trail; ensure stems are the same length and at least two inches long.

At a rest stop, with a thumbnail pinch each flower’s stem about a half-inch from each one’s bottom, creating a hole like a needle’s eye.

Next, thread the stem of a flower though one stem’s slot so the blossom is snug against the hole. Repeat the threading, creating a circular chain of flowers. As doing this, estimate how many flowers are needed to encircle your child’s head.

Before placing the last flower stem in place to close the loop, place the headband on your child’s head. Then add the last flower.

Materials: Dozen freshly picked flowers with stems at least two inches long

Ages: 10 and up

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Great hiking game for kids: Be the Animal

"I hide in the grass and hop. What am I?" Photo courtesy of George Hodan.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Be the Animal.

This is a great game for when some of the group needs to rest but others still have energy. Have the energetic kids get down on knees like a low-lying animal would and tell how their perspective of the world changes (of what they can and cannot see). Then have them climb atop a boulder, pretend they are a bird and again tell about their change in perspective.

Materials: None needed. The game can be played by children as young as preschoolers if they simply pretend to be an animal.

Ages: 10 and up.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Great after the hike activity: Award Badges

Give kids who help one another on a hike award badges.
Photo courtesy of wsilver 2 / Photoree.

Once you’ve completed your first hike, pat yourself on the back. You’ve done a lot of work but have taken the first step into a larger world for both you and your children.

To keep kid’s enthusiasm charged, “review” the hike in kid-friendly ways. While you really can’t do this with infants, most toddlers and older kids will enjoy it.

One such after the hike activity is Award Badges. Young children will love receiving a badge or ribbon for their efforts. Award them, though, not for completing the hike but for positive behaviors they displayed on the trail. For example, maybe one child for the first time successfully read the topo map or compass to ensure the expedition didn’t get lost. Or maybe one of the children came to the aid of another who was having difficulty during the hike. Award badges can be made out of paper or cardboard; ribbons also can be purchased.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Hiking activity: Collecting craft materials

Pine cones, leaves and twigs collected on a day hike all make for great
craft materials. Photo courtesy of Hammonton Photography / Photoree.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is collecting craft materials.

Children love to pick up and examine pine cones, twigs, leaves, pebbles and other small items found in the wilds. Go online or visit your local library to find children’s crafts that you might do at home and that would require such materials collected on a hike. During the making of such crafts with these collected materials is a great opportunity to discuss the hike. Warning: Many parks and national forests prohibit the collection of such items from public lands.

Materials: Bag to carry collected stuff, Internet connection or library.

Ages: 3 and up.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Great hiking activity for kids: Bark Rubbings

Kids will love to make bark rubbings during a day hike.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Bark Rubbings.

If walking through a forest with a variety of trees, have children keep a record of the different kinds they encounter with bark rubbings. Place a piece of paper over each tree and rub an unwrapped crayon sideways over it. Later use a tree identification guide to see what kind of tree it is. You’ll need to bring paper and crayons. As an alternative, or in addition to bark, they can make rubbings of leaves that have fallen from the tree.

Materials: Crayons, paper.

Ages: 6 and up.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Activity for hiking kids: Signs of Wildlife

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Signs of Wildlife.

Have children point out tracks, feathers, fur on fence posts, scat, scratches on trees, nests, burrow holes, etc. Older kids can speculate what animal might have left it there and then give reasons why they suspect that creature.

Materials: None needed.

Ages: 8 and up.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Activities/game for hiking children: Senses

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Senses.

To play, have kids tell what they see, smell, hear and touch. “Taste” usually doesn’t count and be careful of kids using “see” exclusively. Encourage their use of the various senses by exposing them to various objects. Crush pine needles in your hand and let them smell it, have them stick their finger into an evergreen’s sap, have them hold two very different kinds of but similarly sized rocks and tell you which one is smoother or heavier.

Materials: Objects found on the trail.

Ages: 8 and up.

Great day hiking game for kids: ABCs

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is ABCs.

Starting with the letter A, identify something on the trail that begins with that letter then move on to the next one. Works best with older elementary age kids who have a broad enough vocabulary to play the game.

Materials: None needed.

Ages: 8-12.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Hiking activity for kids: Who Lives Here?

What lives in this burrow? Photo courtesy
of Illinois DNR.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is “Who Lives Here?”

When seeing various nests and holes in the ground and trees, try to guess what kind of animal might live there. Hang around long enough, and you may see a lizard, bug or furry critter scamper into or out of it. Don’t place hands or sticks into holes, though, to force out the animal. Besides disturbing the animals, this can be very dangerous, leading to bites.

Materials: None needed.

Ages: 5 and up.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Games for hiking kids: When You Hear Train

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is When You Hear Train.

Have children line up single file; then pick a sound, such as a bird singing or a snapped twig. When the person in the lead hears it, that person goes to the back. The goal is to not be at the front of the line when the group reaches a certain destination. Works best with a group of young elementary school kids.

Materials: None needed.

Ages: 5 and up.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Activity/game for hiking kids: 'Sniff It'

Sniffing objects found in nature can bring alive the hiking trail in new and
unexpected ways. Photo courtesy of talkingplant / Photoree.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Sniff It.

As with grab bag, have kids collect in a bag objects they see on the ground along the trail. At a rest stop, have them exchange bags. They then close their eyes, pull an object from bag, sniff, and try to identify it. Be sure to return the objects to the ground when done.

Materials: Paper or plastic bags.

Ages: 5 and up.

More great day hiking games and activities for kids:
g Butterfly nets
g Grab bag
g Nature bingo
g Game Show

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Hiking game for children: Game Show

Q: "What tree's leaf is also on a country's flag?"
A: Maple tree (It's on the Canadian flag)

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Game Show.

If you have multiple children on a hike, pick a topic all are familiar with and have each one create two or three trivia questions. Each child then asks a question in turn. The other children may answer. Keep track of who answers the most questions correctly to determine the winner. If the children are older, the topic might be about where you’re hiking.

Materials: None needed.

Ages: 8 and up.

More great day hiking games and activities for kids:
g Butterfly nets
g Grab bag
g Nature bingo

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Great hiking game for kids: Nature Bingo

She can put an x through the "deer" square on her Nature Bingo card.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Nature Bingo.

Before going on the hike, have the kids brainstorm about what they might see on the hike: trees, lizards, dragonflies, puddles, pine cones, etc. Have each one make a bingo card with those objects on them. When they see each object on the trail, they mark it off on their card. The first one to get a line of words across, down or diagonally, wins.

Materials: Bingo cards, pencils (or pen or crayon).

Ages: 5 and up.

More great day hiking games and activities for kids:
g Butterfly nets
g Grab bag

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Great hiking game/activity for kids: Memory

How many of these
objects can your child
remember? Illustration
by Maryland DNR

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Memory.

Discretely collect 10 objects found on the ground – a pine cone, small rock, fallen leaf, etc. – and cover them with a bandana or other material. Uncovering the found objects, give the kids 10 seconds to see them. Cover the objects; the kids have a minute to find as many of them as they can. The child with the most matches wins.

Materials: Covering, objects along trail.
Ages: 5 and up.

More great day hiking games and activities for kids:
g Butterfly nets
g Grab bag

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

How to change reluctant little hikers' minds

"But I don't want to hike anymore."

Is your child reluctant to hike? Don’t worry, you can get them excited about the hike.

First, there are a couple of different kinds of reluctant kids you might run into. There is the one who doesn’t want to go hiking at all, and then there is the one who doesn’t want to explore when on the trail. Each needs to be addressed a little differently.

Doesn’t want to hike at all
You’ll need to find some ways to get kids enthusiastic about the hike. Consider allowing them to bring a friend along or go hiking with another family that has children (especially of similar age). You also can involve them in the trip planning, selecting snacks, packing, and navigating with map and compass. Then they feel as if you are giving them attention, and they will associate hiking with your respect and love for them.

Do something special at the destination, so the child has something to look forward to. In fact, this is a great idea even if your child is excited about the hike, as doing something special upon reaching your goal is a great way of bonding. Some hikers carry a small camp stove and whip up cups of hot chocolate for everyone in the party. My son and I always share a package of freeze-dried ice cream while gazing out at the view from the mountain top or rock formation we’ve reached.

Doesn’t want to explore on a hike
Let such children focus on what they want to do: scampering over boulders, swimming in a pond, pretending to fight off dragons in the woods. You also might engage them in some activities, particularly ones they like.

Penny J., of Ogden, Utah, offers this unique suggestion: “If a kid who is too heavy to carry doesn’t want to walk anymore but isn’t tired, bribe him by offering him one M&M for every 20 steps he takes. Twenty steps is doable for any kid, especially if there is a reward at the end of it. Be careful, though – you don’t want every hike to be an M&M for every 20 steps beginning at the trailhead.”

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Hiking activity for kids: Grab Bag

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Grab Bag.

Have kids collect in a paper bag objects they see on the ground along the trail. At a rest stop, have them exchange bags. They can put their hands into the bag but not look. Using their sense of touch, have them identify the object. Be sure to return the objects to the ground when done. Materials: Paper or plastic bags. Ages 5 and up.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Fun activity for hiking kids: Finding Patterns

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Finding Patterns.

Nature is full of patterns, from the shape of flower petals to the coloring of butterfly wings. Have your children identify different shapes and designs they notice on the trail.

Materials: None needed.

Ages: 5 and up.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Great day hiking game for kids: Counting

"One ant, two ants. three ants..."

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Counting.

Working in pairs or as individuals, each team or person counts the number of some object they name in advance – squirrels, dead trees, lizards, oak trees, etc. The object sought should not be extremely common, such as rocks or ants, so that teams have to keep an eye out for them. Whichever team finds the most of their sought object wins.

Materials: None needed

Ages: 5 and up

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Hiking activity for children: Butterfly nets

Photo courtesy of Georgia DNR.

Once you start seeing butterflies in your yard, consider bringing a butterfly net on the trail. Catching the butterflies is a fun challenge for kids, and if you bring a magnifying glass to look at what you’ve caught, can make for some literally eye-popping discoveries.

Materials: Butterfly net, magnifying glass.

Ages: 5 and up.

More great day hiking games and activities for kids:
g Butterfly nets
g Grab bag
g Nature bingo
g Game Show
g When You Hear Train

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.