In order to get children closer to nature, an event was held in Abashiri, Hokkaido, where children built igloos, houses made of snow blocks.
This event was held by an NPO in Abashiri City over a two-day period ending on the 11th, with 16 participants ranging from 4 years old to junior high school students.
An igloo is a snow house used by Inuit people living in northern Canada to protect themselves from the cold.
First, the children made snow blocks by compacting the snow spread in a container.
Next, after stacking the blocks together with the adults, they used a saw to create a dome shape.
There are two completed igloos, one large and one small, with the larger one measuring 3 meters in diameter and 1.8 meters in height.
A camp will be held at this location on the 23rd of this month, where children will actually experience staying in an igloo.
A fourth grade elementary school boy from Kiyosato Town, Hokkaido, said, ``It was difficult to make blocks by stepping on the snow.I'm looking forward to the day when we can stay in the igloo.''
Sanyo Kanda of the NPO Jiktoku, which organized the event, said, ``I want the children to enjoy playing outside in Hokkaido's winter, and also learn how to use the snow to beat the cold.'' I was there.