This weekend, we took a break from the usual routine and built something together in the woods, a small wiki up made from downed limbs and brush around the homestead.

If you’re not familiar with the term, a wiki up is a type of brush shelter traditionally used by some Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest and Great Basin. It’s built with a framework of sticks or saplings and covered with branches, brush, or other natural materials. Think of it as a simpler version of a wigwam. It’s temporary, easy to assemble, and perfectly suited for quick shelter or woodland play.

The inspiration came from a combination of good weather and our current evening reading of The Boxcar Children. My girls have really gotten into the series lately. They love the idea of siblings working together to survive and build a life with limited resources. Naturally, they were excited to play out their own version of that story here at home.

We headed into the woods and started gathering fallen limbs and brush. The girls took the lead more than I expected. One hauled branches. Another arranged them into a pile.

By the end of the afternoon, we had something that felt a little wild, a little ragged, and completely perfect. They played in it the rest of the day, ducking in and out, imagining they were on their own adventure.

It cost nothing. It didn’t need planning. And it turned out to be one of the better weekends we’ve had in a while.

Sometimes the best projects are the ones that start with, “Want to go build something?”