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Talk about a classic.

Whether you’re five years old or 50, chances are you’ve built a blanket fort. And if, for some reason, you have yet to experience the vintage childhood activity, some fifth-graders at Providence Day can give you some pointers.

“You need clips for the blankets,” student Erica Sum says, “and a lot of teamwork.”

student looking under tarp during blanket fort building exercise in IDEAS lab

Fifth graders, as part of their IDEAS Xchange lab curriculum, were cut loose Thursday to build a blanket fort in the Dickson-Hemby Technology Center. Their assignment included tools and materials - PVC pipes, clips, clothespins, tape, and painter's tarps - and two objectives: all 20 or so students had to contribute to the fort’s design, and everyone had to fit underneath.

“It gets them to think about design and collaborative problem solving,” says Ryan Welsh, Providence Day Chief Design Strategist and English teacher. “We give them a real problem to solve, and we want the entire team to be involved in solving the problem. They learn that you will yield better results when you do it together.”

The team-building exercise allowed students to reflect on their strengths and how they work in a group.

“I’ve built two forts at home,” Erica says. “Today, I just kind of came up with what to do as we went.”

Bexton Nottingham, a fifth-grader, kept busy during the exercise, helping with all angles of the fort and reaching for any tools available to give it some height.

“I want to be an engineer,” he says. “This is good practice when I actually go to work. Good engineers use teamwork.”

Education experts say fort building develops planning skills and problem-solving, promotes teamwork, and increases focus on a common goal. The exercise also opens the door for students to expand their visual intelligence. 

In order to build a fort, you need to be able to visualize it (or at least an aspect of it) before beginning. Then, it helps to be able to picture the next stage in your mind’s eye.

“Blanket forts are one of my faves with adults, and the kids are even better at it,” Mr. Welsh says. “It gets adults to be reflective about their childhood. There was a time when learning and play were the exact same thing. [The kids’] reflections are always fantastic.”

photo collage of fifth grade students in an IDEAS lab on building a blanket fort