Build a Rock Tower

Title: Build a Rock Tower
Description: Give your garden an artistic peaceful feel by adding some balancing rock art to it.
Season: Any season
Length of Activity: 30 minutes
Age: 2-10 years old

Rock Art for Your Garden

Have you ever been on a trail and come across a tower of balancing rocks?
Well, as much as it might have seemed beautifully artistic, those towers, also known as cairns, have a purpose to mark a path without disrupting the ecosystem it resides in.

Unfortunately, because these towers are so beautiful, and building them is just a meditative act, national parks are being flooded with them. And what many people don’t realize is that the movement of stones can cause erosion, disrupt the flow of the river or confuse hikers who depend on cairns to navigate when the trail isn’t clear.

That’s why your garden, and not the national park, is the perfect place for them!

• Supplies and Tools needed:
  • Flat-ish rocks from your garden or from around your property. Remember rocks found in the public domain, such as beaches or riverbeds, should only be used on site and only if you dismantle the project prior to leaving. Do not remove rocks from any public areas, shorelines, riverbeds etc.
  • Make sure there is space to create stone sculptures without harming the surrounding ecosystem or inhabitants.
  • If you don’t have many rocks where you live, you can purchase a bag of ‘river stones’ at your local garden shop.

Getting started
Step 1: Gather rocks of all different sizes and shapes.

Step 2: Make a stack and see how tall you can pile it. Use a ruler to measure the height and or width, and then try to make it taller or wider. How many different sizes can you build?

Taking it Deeper
What did you notice about the stacking?
Were some rocks easier to balance than others? If so, do those rocks have any characteristics in common?

Further Reading
By now you’ve realized that stacking rocks is not just about creating something pretty, it’s also about gravity, focus and balance. The Æsop fable,
The Hare & the Tortoise is also about focus and balance but perhaps with a little different perspective. Can you see how the race between the tortoise and the hare might be similar to the art of stacking rocks?