Build a stick fort

What can we use instead of a measuring tape, rope, or tarp if we don't have them?

Use a long piece of string or a shoelace to measure the fort base instead of a measuring tape, swap rope for sturdy twine or bungee cords to tie the corners and cross-braces, and use an old bedsheet or shower curtain to drape over the leaned sticks in place of a tarp.

My fort keeps wobbling or the corners come loose — how do we fix that?

Have an adult re-tie each corner with extra wraps and a square knot, add more medium sticks as cross-braces across the middle and wrap rope where sticks cross, and press short stick ends slightly into the soil before tightening so the base grips the ground better.

How can I change this activity for younger kids or older kids?

For toddlers let them wear garden gloves and help collect sticks while an adult measures the base and ties corners, for elementary kids let them sort short/medium/long sticks and help secure cross-braces, and for older kids have them use the measuring tape to plan a larger rectangle, arrange angled roof sticks, and design a tarp door or window.

What are fun ways to improve or personalize our finished stick fort?

Strengthen and personalize the fort by tucking a blanket or extra tarp inside for a floor, decorating sticks with washable paint or ribbons, securing tarp edges with extra rocks or tied rope loops as stakes, and hanging a battery-powered lantern for evening stories before sharing your photo and short story.