Step 1: Dig a hole

Success! Mitchell Moore, Zac Vorster, Aiden Vorster, Emjay Vorster and Levi Moore (from left) celebrate the completion of their backyard fishing pond.

Brothers Aiden, Emjay and Zac Vorster were looking for ways to entertain themselves at home. One day, their mom, Louise, found them digging a hole in the yard. It didn’t surprise her because they are naturally active kids, but what started as a small activity eventually became a fully lined pond, stocked with fish. The boys, ages 9, 7 and 5, who attend Horn Elementary, dug the hole until it was 8 by 10 feet. Soon, other boys joined the effort, including Carter and Jacob Dixon, Levi and Mitchell Moore, Dylan Taylor and Alex Leibman. The brothers worked out a plan that included a pump, liner and filter, along with stones as a border. When it was finished, the boys caught some fish at a friend’s lake house and relocated them to their new home in the Vorster backyard. The fishing-pond project was a fun alternative to their original, more elaborate summer plans – traveling to South Africa to visit grandparents. Pictured are (from left) Mitchell Moore, Zac Vorster, Aiden Vorster, Emjay Vorster and Levi Moore. For more, see “Building a Backyard Pond” by Angie Frederickson. 

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