Building like a Beaver

Beavers are talented engineers. They spend a lot of time building dams out of logs, branches and mud for shelter and food. The dams are so well built they can reroute entire streams. These dams become particularly important in winter when beavers rely on the deep, cold water they create to store food in their “beaver freezer.”

 

You can find beaver dams in any weather! Can you find a beaver dam near you?

 

Try building one yourself to see how hard these nature engineers work! All you need are supplies from your yard and tools from your kitchen.

Step 1: Find a pan or dish to put your mini beaver dam in. Make sure your pan is big enough that your dam can divide it into two parts (a cake pan works great).

Step 2: Collect a variety of sticks from your yard. Grab some short sticks, some long sticks, some wide sticks and some skinny sticks. With different kinds of sticks, you can experiment with how to build the best beaver dam.

Step 3: Using sticks and material from your yard, build a mini dam in your pan. Experiment with the best ways to lay sticks on top of each other. How can you make your structure stronger?

Step 4: Once you’ve finished, pour water into one side of the pan. Does your dam block the water? What could you try to make the dam work better?

 

Nature is full of cool things like beaver dams. They can give us a lot of inspiration. The next time you're in nature, see what other cool things you can find. What can it inspire you to do next?