Making an Igloo

Dress warmly since you will be working with snow and out in the cold, you will want to wear lots of warm clothing. Waterproof gloves top the list of must-haves, so you can easily work with the snow without freezing your fingers off. Warm boots and a snowsuit, as well as a knit hat, complete your weather-appropriate wear.

Find a suitable place to build your igloo. The land should be fairly flat and give you enough space to build. You will be carving the blocks from the ground to make a hole, so choose an area with plenty of hard, dry, well-packed snow. Wet or powdery snow that falls apart when you make a snowball won't work.

Cut blocks out of the snow using your snow saw or machete. Cut the blocks 15 inches high, 3 feet long and 8 inches deep. Arc the inside edge of each block so the igloo will have a domed shape.

Place the first row of blocks around the hole you carved the blocks from. Build the circle in a spiral shape in ascending order from the smallest block to the largest. This will create the dome.

Build the walls up. As you build, make sure that the walls lean in to create a dome. Cover the seams of the blocks with additional snow. This will add strength to the structure as well as keep heat in.

Cut the last block larger than the opening. This hole is at the top of the igloo, and because heat rises, you must seal it to retain heat inside the igloo. Cover the hole with a larger block to ensure that no air escapes, but The Farm website recommends leaving multiple smaller ventilation holes to prevent carbon dioxide buildup inside the igloo.

Dig the entrance tunnel underneath the igloo and up into the interior of the igloo, through the floor rather than digging into the igloo wall. You can use a shovel to accomplish this. Don't make the tunnel too long; 3 or 4 feet is an adequate entrance length. Use blocks to build an entranceway over the tunnel.

Climb into the igloo. Your body heat will melt the surface of the snow, causing ice to freeze over the blocks. This will harden the igloo and protect it from outside elements such as snow or animals.