This case study reflects upon the use of den-building as a research method to examine the emotional dimensions of children's school lives. It draws upon a collaborative ethnography conducted in a junior school (ages 7-11) where there was an explicit emphasis on the development of children's 'emotional skills'. Here, I focus upon the ways that den-building allowed children to explore and communicate their experiences at school. Through den-building, children were able to develop visual and material representations of the emotional dimensions of school life to portray a richer picture than if they had used words alone. I reflect upon the ways that children began to use the dens as a starting point for telling and performing school stories and the insights they afforded. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book.]