Once the platform was complete, we had to put up the yurt in order to protect the insulation and plywood that we had just put down. A moderate amount of rain could ruin the work we had just completed. As soon as we began to talk of bringing the yurt down to the platform (it was in pieces in Scott’s art studio), we began to hear thunder and noticed dark clouds approaching. One of our school families arrived and said they had just driven through pouring rain. Uh oh. We began to work fast. Really fast. It was exciting and a bit nerve racking to move as quickly as possible in order to beat the rain.
The first thing that went up was the door.
We then brought down the khanna–the wooden framework that will hold up the canvas. We unrolled it on the platform and stretched it out. This part was really exciting for me. The space was quickly taking shape!
After the khanna was stretched out, we put a wire along the top of the khanna. The rafters were then stretched between the wire and the center ring. Charlie held up the center ring while we stabilized it with the first 4 rafters.
We continued to add one rafter at a time until all were in place.
The roof canvas was then lifted up and pulled down over the rafters.
Next we hung the side walls/canvas.
We painted the wooden rim around bottom. Actually, Ms. Ruby painted most of it. What a joyful helper!
We also added stairs (since the children can’t fly) and a real window (in addition to the vinyl ones).
It’s hard to believe how quickly our schoolhouse went up once the platform was built. It took about an hour, thanks to the approaching rain acting as a huge motivator. I love walking to the back of our yard and seeing the schoolhouse sitting there, all round and beautiful. I can’t wait to finish up the inside and then fill it with beautiful toys and–most importantly–beautiful children. Our community has grown just as quickly as our yurt and it brings me great joy and excitement to think of the sweet faces that will be joining me in our new space soon.
