Sticks and Stones

The essential resource for every junior outdoor adventurer.

Written by a top mom blogger, Sticks and Stones gives boys, girls, and their adults ideas for getting outside and creating safe, useful structures and objects using nature’s building supplies.

Sticks and Stones presents a treasure trove of building and engineering ideas for children to employ in the great outdoors using the materials made readily available to them, from cabins and tipis to bridges and dams. Many smaller scale projects are included, too—such as how to make ochre paint with shale, make a fishing pole, and carve a marshmallow roasting stick.

Opportunities and materials for constructive play exist everywhere in nature. Author Melissa Lennig (of the blog Fireflies and Mud Pies) introduces today’s screen-overloaded kids to this world of fun waiting just outside the door. Whether camping or hanging out in the back yard, children will marvel at the wonderful, useful tools and playthings they can create with natural objects.

Sticks and Stones details various designs for the ever-popular fort (cabins, tipis, survival shelters, etc.) and also covers structures such as bridges, fences, and dams, while explaining the STEAM principles behind each.

In addition to structures, there are other ideas and projects for camping and the backyard, like a fire ring (explaining the types of fires, airflow, and safety), the always useful tripod, a travois, a rock garden, and toy boats. Along the way, there are multi-leveled reading opportunities in the form of quick features on considerations like mindfulness, campfire safety, mini STEAM design challenges, and more.

About the Author

Originally from upstate New York, Melissa Lennig used to sneak out of her bed at night to sleep under the stars.

After working as an Outdoor Educator and Elementary School Counselor for nearly 10 years, she left her job to follow her love of writing, photography, and creating. Eager to share her passions for outdoor play, crafting, and social-emotional learning with others, she founded the popular blog Fireflies and Mud Pies.

Melissa loves creeking, science museums, photographing insects, gardening, and creating fun projects for her boys. She currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with her family and two yellow labs.

She graduated from St. John Fisher College where she studied Elementary Education and English. Melissa received her master's degree in Counselor Education from Marywood University.

To see more of Melissa's outdoor play ideas and easy craft projects, visit FirefliesandMudPies.com.