How to Make an Igloo Using Household Objects
Through the ages, people all over the world have built many different structures using many different materials, from the pyramids in Egypt to the skyscrapers in New York. The Inuit people built igloos, or snow houses. Some Inuits would use igloos as their homes for the entire winter season, while others used them only as temporary housing while they traveled. Although the Inuits built these dome-shaped structures from the inside, you can build your own miniature igloo from the outside using sugar cubes.
Things You'll Need
- 12-inch by 12-inch piece of sturdy cardboard
- 7-inch cardboard circle
- Hot glue gun
- Sugar cubes
- 2 eggs
- Confectioner's sugar
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Small paintbrush
- Paper
- Pencil
Instructions
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Making an Igloo Using Sugar Cubes
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1
Lay your 7-inch cardboard circle in the center of your square piece of cardboard. Hot glue your first row of sugar cubes around the cardboard circle, leaving a 1/8-inch gap between each cub, and a 1 1/2-inch gap somewhere along the circle for the igloo's door.
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2
Mix the egg whites of your eggs with 3 cups of confectioner's sugar to make a mortar to hold together the rest of the sugar cubes of your igloo. Apply a coat of this mortar to the bottom of the sugar cubes that you will use for the next row of your igloo, not to the tops of the already laid sugar cubes. Place the new cubes centered over the 1/8-inch gaps that you left in the first row, keeping the same size gap between the sugar cubes in the new row.
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3
Continue laying new rows of sugar cubes in this manner until you have your igloo halfway constructed. Then, take a break to let the mortar on the already laid sugar cubes set. During this time construct an arch for the door of your igloo, in the same manner that you constructed the first half of your igloo.
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4
Set the arch for your doorway aside so it can set and continue work on your igloo. When you have about nine layers of sugar cubes laid, you will want to construct your roof separately so that it can set before you place it on top of your igloo. Take a piece of paper and gently place it on top of your igloo. Very lightly trace the outline of the top of your igloo so that you know what size to make your roof.
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5
Take the stencil for the roof that you just traced and begin mortaring together sugar cubes in rows and columns to fill the circle as much as possible. Your roof should be just a solid sheet of sugar cubes in a rough circle shape.
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6
Allow your roof to set for about 30 minutes before you put it place on your igloo using your egg and sugar mortar. At this time you should also mortar on the archway for the door of your igloo.
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7
Allow the whole igloo construction to set for 30 minutes and then sprinkle the whole thing with confectioner's sugar to make it a snowy scene.
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