We began this lesson by reading the book "Iggy Peck, Architect" by author Andrea Beaty and discussing what exactly an architect is and does. Then we looked at a Powerpoint I put together showing a variety of interestingly designed structures. As we view the images, the students and I discuss the interesting shapes and architectural details they see on the structures. Then I have the students go back to their desks and give each of them a large brown paper bag (they write their name on the bottom flap). I explain to students that using construction paper crayons and scrap paper they are to design their own buildings. How they want their building to look is entirely up to them! It can be a house, an apartment, a skyscraper, a store, whatever... At first I was a little unsure about doing this lesson with my first graders.. but I'm so happy I took the chance and did it with them! I LOVEEEEEE it! My teacher sample
As it would turn out, making giant paper cup pyramids is difficult for preschoolers, but what a great STEM activity to supplement our Around the World theme!
I'm sure we've all read a lot about using stations or centers in the Art room. I don't use them regularly, but I do utilize them at least a few times a year. I used stations last week with some of my 3rd grade students. I wanted the students to type artist statements for their first projects into Artsonia so while one student at a time was doing that, the others were rotating to different stations. I wanted to come up with stations that did not involve drawing, just for something different. One, geometric shape tile pictures, I had used before but I tried a couple new things. I had 4 stations total and the groups rotated to each during the class period. They ended up with about 6-7 minutes at each station. 1. Water painting on the chalkboard! I read about letting Kinders paint with water on sidewalks at the beginning of the school year and that idea stuck with me. (I first read about it on B Art Z but I think the original idea came from Hands Head n Heart) One day I was trying to explain to some students how to turn their brush to cover a wider area and it popped into my head to show them with water on the chalkboard. I guess this is one time I prefer it to a whiteboard. For this rotation, I just put styrofoam cups with a little bit of water in them and big brushes on the chalkboard tray and let the students paint lines with water. I didn't tell them what to paint, just let them explore and be amazed at their temporary paintings. It worked pretty well besides when a couple students decided to use the brushes to fling water instead of "painting" with it. We just wiped with paper towels to speed dry time for the next group. 2. Building with recycled materials. This was so obvious that I can't believe I never did it before! I save all my paper towel tubes. I like to use recycled materials for projects, I just have to have over 100 of anything before I have enough for each student to do a lesson. I pulled out some paper towel tubes, cardboard pieces, plastic trays that someone gave me, and the little "ladders" I saved from old watercolor trays. I told the students when they were at that table, they just had to build something from the materials working together with their group. I did not set a specific challenge. Some used it to create architectural designs, some decided to see how tall of a tower they could build. I did put a stop to the tall tower thing temporarily when students started to climb on top of the tables to reach higher. Honestly, they were being careful and I think it would have been pretty safe (my brother and I were always doing stuff like that when we were younger) but I figured since we were at school and I don't want to get in trouble, they could only build towers as tall as they could reach from the floor. It was cool to see them learn about balance and figure out how to make the structures more sturdy. The students asked when they could do it again! There was definitely lots of critical thinking and problem solving happening! I found a big tub of blocks so one other station was individual building. This student wanted me to take a picture of her tower, too. I have plans for other non-drawing (not that I don't love drawing) stations but I have yet to test them out. I promise to share the results after I do test them with students.
This home activity is designed to align with the Creative Curriculum Buildings Study. This is a fun activity for families to complete together using materials from home. This document is in English and Spanish. If you purchase the bundle, this item is included. ...
Learn how to create simple models and maps with early years students with this free geography printable!
Our community theme is one of my favorites because there are so many fun things we can do. I could probably spend a month on this theme exploring lots of jobs, places and community helpers. Here were our plans for our community theme: And here are the details for each activity: Making Inferences: Madelynn loves […]
Our community theme is one of my favorites because there are so many fun things we can do. I could probably spend a month on this theme exploring lots of jobs, places and community helpers. Here were our plans for our community theme: And here are the details for each activity: Making Inferences: Madelynn loves […]
Types of buildings word cards.
Learning how to manipulate paper into shapes and then into a picture. Whether it is a house, a sailboat or skyscrapers, the technique is the same.
While the preschool days are filled with ABC's and 123's, it's important to teach your little learners critical thinking skills as well. What better way
All about buildings and construction for 3K, pre-k, preschool and kindergarten! Building themed visuals, posters, and math and literacy activities are included! Teach your students all about buildings, building features, types of buildings and construction with these hands-on center activities and v...
Activities that develop early math skills are our favourites! We love working on our number recognition, counting skills, subitising and 1:1 correspondence. This “Build a City” activity…
If your kid loves big work trucks, they will enjoy all these fun construction and building printables, construction crafts & activities.
Building preschool Science Experiments: Foundations Learning how buildings work
I made this poster to go along with the Creative Curriculum Buildings Study. This pairs with my other Building Study Resources. If you purchase the bundle, this item is included. ...
From mixed media to simple sketching, there's something here for every 1st grader.
When I taught preschool one of the most exciting themes for my students was our Construction & Buildings unit of study from Creative Curriculum. They just loved playing with blocks, pretending they were construction workers and using the toy tools. Construction & Buildings unit I'm sharing pictures from my archives of some of the activities
Summer has hit full stride and all the free time off school has lost its allure. We’ve been swimming, hiking, adventuring and more! So, now it’s time to explore new activities that will satisfy the kids’ natural curiosity and endless amounts of energy. We’ve picked our top 17 building activities, using everything from newspaper …
Three to Five: Playful Preschool is packed full of creative, hands-on preschool activities. It includes math, literacy, art, science and play ideas and includes 10 free preschool printables.
National Skyscraper Day is September 3rd, the birthday of Louis Henry Sullivan, the “father of skyscrapers.” To celebrate, we decided to explore all there is to know about skyscrapers, including building one of our own! This activity turns out to be more than just a creative building exercise. It involves teamwork, problem-solving, and some math […]
Corning Incorporated sponsored this blog post. The opinions, activities, and text are all mine. We are constantly in the car on errands or running around town visiting parks and exploring the area where we live.
Are you excited?!? Today marks the first activity post in our Architecture and Engineering for Preschool series! To kick things off, I turned our neglected Mega Bloks into famous monuments even my toddler and preschooler can build. Making Monuments During my Art History for Preschool series last year, some of…
Build your own town with a free set of printable pieces! A great activity for little ones when reading the book Lentil. Or save for a rainy day!
Here are more than 15 free printable Alphabet activities and games to help teach your kids or students about the Alphabet in a fun and crea...
How to set up the blocks center in your early childhood classroom (with ideas, tips, and book list) plus block center freebies!
craig & karl have developed a new identity for bread & butte, a berlin-based 'trend show' that empowers consumers to personally engage with fashion brands.
Summer time means there will be a lot of free time for your kiddos. In between all the vacations and pool parties, try one of these STEAM projects!
Download this Premium Photo about In the middle of a skycrapper building. low wide angle view of converging glass and steel contempor, and discover more than 49 Million Professional Stock Photos on Freepik. #freepik #photo #tallbuilding #skyscraper #building
This printable pack includes word wall cards as well as picture cards containing different types of buildings. All words were taken from the Teaching Strategies Buildings Theme lesson book. There is 30 different word wall cards, including everything from types of buildings, building materials, and b...
A set of picture cards featuring images of various buildings. They are sized at 15cm x 15cm making them ideal to use with a Bee Bot / programmable robot.
Looking for an amazing STEM activity that's exciting for the whole class? These STEM straw bridges will spark creativity in your little engineers!
