I was practicing shelter building on a smaller scale, and dubbed it "The Squirrel Shelter." Lots of critters frequent the backyard....

I started with a cardboard box that was open on both ends. Laid it on it's side and leaned sticks against it in an inverted-V fashion. Layered leaves on top of that and inside the box for added insulation, then placed another layer of sticks on the outside. It seemed nice - lots of room. I thought using the box was helpful to lean the sticks against, making the structure easier to build. The stick frame outside of that made putting leaves on top easier, as well.

After some heavy rain, wind and a bit of cold, the shelter collapsed. Luckily there were no squirrels inside! Despite the coverage of leaves, water seeped through and the cardboard box, being more of a structural support than I thought, lost it's integrity. Part of the stick frame, though, held up. So I feel the use of the box was foolhardy, and next time I'll pile rocks and logs up and lean sticks against them instead.

Laugh at my attempt if need be (it makes me laugh to picture terrified, squeaking squirrels), but since I'm still pretty green at this stuff, I'd love to hear any thoughts or suggestions.