It's a fun STEM design project to build frames out of bamboo and grow plants up the framework - or cover the framework with fabrics to make a shelter.
I have a plentiful supply of invasive bamboo that needs cutting back from a neighboring yard. Each year, I prune the bamboo to make beanpoles. If I need larger diameter bamboo I negotiate to cut some from friends yard further afield. I work with groups of children helping them design and construct different backyard or schoolyard projects. Sometimes we build frames tied with hemp rope Sometimes we tie fabrics or plant seeds and grow climbing plants to cover the frames.
We talk about:
- Concept - What do you want to do in your structure? Do you want to sit, run, read, play?
- Site - What sort of micro-climate and environment do you already have and want to create?
- Design - What materials are you using? What are the materials' strengths and weaknesses? How do you make connections and work with gravity, wind, and other forces?
- Model - Can you draw or make a smaller or larger model or life-size prototype to test?
Here's some examples of some seasonal plant-based structures:
A Chinese-style Geodesic Dining Dome:
Note my daughter's model that we used to share the visualization of the project as we built...
A Living Willow Tunnel pathway:
Split bamboo tomato frames - using Japanese bamboo-working tools
Today I am planting pole beans, bush beans, sunflowers, and corn and squash to make a Three Sisters Teepee Garden. I put mesh around the base, and plant inside the framework - to keep rabbits from nibbling the seedlings!
At the Arlington Art Center this year artist, Doug Retzler, is making a "Gourd Palace with a rebar-reinforced bamboo frame!
Follow the progress of the Gourd Palace at the AAC blog...
http://www.arlingtonartscenter.org/blog/imagining-the-gourd-palace/
I'll also post photos of my family's Three Sisters Bean Teepee as it grows....
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