Here is a fun and easy activity that everyone can enjoy! I was sitting outside looking at the stone mulch we have and started balancing the stones into little man shapes. That's an activity my kids used to do when we went up north to a Cottage in Canada. They had so much fun and we didn't have to buy a thing!
Let me give you a little piece of advice. You want flat stones. Flat on both sides. Because this is an exercise in balancing. It makes it a lot easier if the stones are flat. And just an fyi, the largest stone in the picture above is about an inch. It looks gigantic because I zoomed in. But, I wanted you to get a nice detailed look. When you actually take a close look at these rocks, some are really pretty!
I tried to find a fun stone for the head. This really is an awesome kid activity when you are at the cabin or hanging at the beach. Or, in your yard. It takes a little skill to find the right stones to stack and balance. I would think this would be a really good fine motor skill exercise for the young ones.
I did not glue any of these together. I guess that is an option if you want to keep your little stone men for a longer time. I didn't though. It was just a quick, fun, relaxing activity outside.
I recommend you keep your cat away!
That's my buddy Raji. He decapitated some of my Inuksuk guys : (.
Below are some larger Inuksuks my family built years ago. These ones are about a foot and a half tall. When you drive along some of the highways in Canada, these line the rock cuts on the side of the road. Originally, Inuksuks were built by the Inuit, to be directional signs or to mark important areas like food caches. I loved that this one was in the middle of a creek with running water.
These bring back memories! The kids had so much fun building these.
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As an fyi, these are also a fun landscaping idea! I did write a post ages ago about using Inuksuks for landscaping.
Perfect for the little spot that needs something but you don't want to plant a shrub or a plant there.
Hope you enjoy these. If you have a few minutes, enjoy the sunshine and the warmth we still have. See what you can create!
Ette
I can’t wait to take a hike an come home an make one thanks
Kelsey
Please don't refer to these as STONE MEN.
Cultural appropriation is an unauthorized use by members of one culture of the cultural expressions and resources, such as symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies, of another culture. The term can also be interpreted in terms of proprietary claims over knowledge.
Inukshuk (inuksuit, for plural) is a stone figure constructed by the Inuit and can be found throughout the Arctic region. Inuksuit were used as a navigational aid and messaging centers. Moreover, some old inuksuit have a spiritual connotation and are mentioned in Aya-yait, the traveling songs passed from one generation to another. The image of inukshuk has become a frequent object of appropriation. It has been used "in over 100 advertisements to sell everything from real estate to erectile dysfunction drugs; a stylized version has recently been chosen by the International Olympic Committee as the symbol for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Angela Lawson
Give it a break! Nobody is trying to appropriate another race’s culture as their own. The author can call them
Stone Men , because I’m sure the Inuit culture wasn’t the first humans to use stone to depict the human figure; it goes back to Prehistoric Man. Not everything is Political! This is just a craft for kids.
Karen Nadon
What kinda glue do u use
I have tried to find a clear glue that is easy to work with but no luck
Any advice would be appreciated
pestep81
Super cute idea. Would look great in the garden!
imarancher
I have never seen these before but I really like the idea. A neat little commentary in the garden, I am going to make at least one and add a tiny straw hat to "the gardner" and maybe a few other things to identify them. I have a tiny gardning set with hoe and rake and so on. That ought to be real cute although it won't appeal to purists.