Facts on Igloos for Kids

Purpose

• The igloo was used by travelers or hunters as a rest stop and for protection from storms or bitter cold. These structures were never intended to be permanent homes. A larger igloo might have housed families during the coldest months of winter, but tentlike shelters housed them during the milder months of the summer. Today, the Inuit live in traditional houses, built of wood or brick, but igloos are used if they̵7;re out hunting far from home.

Construction

• An igloo is built from blocks of snow in the shape of a dome. To build an igloo, you must arrange blocks of snow in a ring on the ground. Each subsequent row is tilted slightly inward, so that fewer blocks are needed as you build, and the shape of a dome is created. The blocks that form the igloo̵7;s wall and roof are cut with a knife or rip saw and they slope gently inward as they reach the top of the roof. Snow is used to fill any holes or cracks, and to add insulation. Depending on the igloo̵7;s size, the Inuit can usually build an igloo in about 30 minutes. Inside, sleeping platforms are made out of blocks of ice and covered with fur. The top of the igloo often had a small hole so that when the occupants built a fire, the smoke could escape. A small opening is left at the base of the igloo as a door, and this is typically just large enough to crawl through.

Size

• If you̵7;re traveling through the Arctic today, it̵7;s unlikely that you̵7;ll see an Inuit family living in an igloo, because they are no longer a common form of housing. Traditionally, though, igloos ranged in size from very small one-person shelters intended for overnight stays, to large ceremonial edifices consisting of many small igloos linked together. Larger, more permanent igloos reached sizes of 13 feet in diameter and about 10 feet high.

Warmth

• A well-built igloo that contains a lamp or a small fire can bring the interior temperature up as much as 32 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than temperatures outside. When body heat is combined into the equation, the interior of an igloo is actually comfortable. The blocks of ice and snow keep the cold wind outside. Because ice is an insulator, it absorbs heat, like a blanket. Blankets don̵7;t make their own heat, but when you wrap yourself up in one, it captures the heat made by your body, which keeps you warm even when the temperature outside the blanket is cold. The igloo̵7;s ice and snow walls work in the same manner. You might wonder how the interior of an igloo doesn̵7;t melt. The walls do melt, but this actually makes the igloo stronger. This is because the melted ice and snow from the interior walls eventually contacts the colder snow and ice on the outside of the igloo. This colder ice and snow causes the water to freeze again, so the igloo, which begins as blocks of snow, changes to ice, which makes a stronger structure than one made of snow.