At my practicum school we had a program called Passions, where at some point in the year students got to be pulled out of class to do something they were passionate about. Students got to sign up for the various passions. These pictures are from the day that I helped out with Outdoor Passions. Some of these students had never set up a tent before. It was really neat to watch them figure it out, and to watch them collaborate. They also learned about the different kinds of tents and what they might be used for. I would definitely do this with my students in the future. Camp set up is a great team building exercise. I had students guess which tent I spent a year of my life living out of; they were shocked when I pointed to the little 2 man.

Every part of this activity captivated the students. The success of building something and the feeling it brings is often underestimated. They also had lots of fun playing in the tents. One is never too old for forts. This is an excellent example of a hands-on-learning project that could be done in just about any intermediate classroom. Ideally, you would not have more than 3-4 students per tent so they all get to participate. It  could even be tied into math through geometry, or science by looking at what makes a tent season appropriate and able to withstand weather.