Unit 6: Building Structures

When was the last time you really looked at how buildings are constructed? When did you last create your own playhouse? Well, now is your chance. Grab a teaching partner, or a willing friend, and explore together, both outdoors and in your classroom.

These hands-on activities will help you to:

• Observe different kinds of construction in different environments
• Think about ways you can help children get the most out of construction explorations, vocabulary you might introduce, questions you might ask, and ways that children can represent their discoveries
• Troubleshoot problems that might arise when the children use building materials
• Learn more about the science of designing stable structures that last

Activities

As you explore, we encourage you to reflect on how you could best introduce and adapt these ideas to suit your children and your environment. The questions (in italics) will help to spark these reflections. In addition, we have provided some basic science concepts for your information and review.

Outdoor Construction

Walk around your neighborhood and notice the various types of buildings.

• Are there houses? Apartment buildings? Small shops? Large office buildings? Houses of worship?
• What is each building made of—wood, brick, marble, cement?
• Do you notice the shapes of the buildings and their parts? Which are rectangular? Circular? Triangular? Square?

REFLECT: What do you think the children will notice? How might you record the words they will use? What open-ended questions might you ask that will help them focus on the characteristics of the objects?

• Note any construction or renovations going on. Are there any large construction machines around? Talk to the owners or developers to see if it would be okay to bring your children to the site.

REFLECT: Think of how to help the children get the most out of the experience. What safety problems might arise? Would it be more effective to visit the site at the beginning of the unit or after children explore building on their own? What kinds of questions will you want children to ask workers? How might you best record workers’ responses?

Build a Structure

• Gather some recycled but clean building materials, like cardboard, paper tubes, PVC tubing, craft foam, old boxes, egg cartons, tape, glue, and scissors. Don’t forget paper and a marker.

REFLECT: You’ll be asking parents to donate boxes and other good materials for building. What materials would you most want available for this exploration with the children?

• Think about a structure you could build, such as a small house from a cardboard box or a castle with turrets made from tubes. Design, or draw, your idea on paper. Planning will make the building more successful.

REFLECT: How can you best help children remember to always make a plan before starting a project? What example might you give them of how important this is?

• Build your structure. If it wobbles, use heavier cardboard to reinforce places of weakness.

REFLECT: How might you engage children in building their structures? How does the activity lend itself to partner work?  What practical help might they need? How can you help them adjust to mistakes and find ways to change things for the better?

Build a Big-Box House

• Place a large cardboard box from a local appliance store in an outdoor area. Refrigerator or washing-machine boxes are a nice size.
• Cut a door large enough to crawl through (leave one side so the door opens and closes). Punch two holes where a doorknob would be, then thread string through and knot to make a pull-handle.

REFLECT: How can you involve children and still direct the cutting and bending of the door without “taking over” their design? Would having your house example available inspire or suppress their creativity?

• Cut out windows—not too many or too big, or the cardboard will become unsteady. If it does, use duct tape to reinforce.
• Paint the outside and inside if you wish.

REFLECT: How might you engage children in building this kind of structure for outdoor play? What practical help might they need to paint a large item like this? Where would be the best place to put it to protect it weather-wise?

Indoor Construction

Look at Structures Indoors

Walk around the school and notice its construction.

• Is it made of wood, brick, cement, or a combination?
• What are the prominent shapes of the building parts?
• Are any walls free-standing or are they all attached at the ceiling? How are the free-standing walls anchored to the floor?
• Is there a triangular or a flat roof? How does this impact the school during and after rain or snowstorms?
• What tool would you need to fix a loose doorknob?
• Are there patterns in the placement of doors and/or windows in the building?

REFLECT: What do you think the children would notice? What words might they use to describe the shapes, patterns, and textures in the construction?

Build Structures

• Design and construct a building. Use blocks from your Block Center as well as recycled boxes, paper tubes, tape, glue, scissors, and any other usable materials from your classroom. Make a house, garage, castle, or other kind of building. Try putting the heavier blocks on top. Do they stay there or do they cause the structure to collapse? Which is the best way to make a structure that has stability? Test different ideas.
• Build a tower with paper or plastic cups as supports and cardboard for “floors” or stories. Try to make the tower as tall as you are . . . or taller. What happens if you remove some cups? Use “stability tests” to find out how strong your tower is. For example, use a piece of cardboard to “fan” air aimed directly at your tower. Hop up and down next to the tower. Or place a book on the top. Record what happens each time.

REFLECT: What do you think children will experience and learn from this activity? What exercises might you use to stress the concept of stability?

• Try to build a bridge strong enough to bear the weight of small rocks or buttons. Place two boxes or blocks about 6” apart. Place a piece of paper across for the bridge. One at a time, place pebbles or buttons in the center of your “bridge.” How many can it hold before it falls? How could you make the paper bridge stronger? Fold the paper to make it thicker? Pleat the paper to make it fan-shaped? Test your ideas. Now, change your design to make a bridge that would hold a toy car “driving” over it. Use the same boxes or blocks, but move them further apart. Use cardboard for the bridge instead of paper, and add paper tubes underneath to support the cardboard if needed. Does the toy car across without the bridge collapsing?

REFLECT: How does this activity lend itself to partner work? What practical help might children need?

• Make a house using mini-marshmallows and toothpicks. Use an index card as a roof. Try to balance something on the roof. Does it stay?
• Make a little pig’s straw house using cut pieces of drinking straws. How can you best tape the straws to form walls? Can you make a window? Can you huff and puff and blow it down?
• Make a little pig’s house of sticks using craft sticks. How can you best tape the sticks to form walls? Can you huff and puff and blow it down?
• Make a little pig’s brick house using sugar-cube bricks. Use glue to stick the cubes together or just balance them. How will you make a roof? Can you huff and puff and blow it down? Can you blow it down with a blow dryer?

REFLECT: How do you think activities like these would work best in your classroom—as a whole group, small group, or partner activity? How can children share what they have observed and discovered with their classmates?

Building Science

Stability

The strength and stability of a building is affected by the type of material used, such as wood, concrete, brick, or steel. Shapes used to construct the building also affect its stability and help to support its weight. When choosing a design and the materials with which to build, an engineer must consider how much stress and strain the building will have. Buildings put the most weight at lower levels and use beams to hold up floors and walls and support their weight. As a building rises, more beams are needed. One might think that a solid rectangular beam would be best, but the weight of such a beam would be massive, adding to the problem. It’s up to the building’s designer and engineers to find ways to cut down on the weight of beams and maintain the building’s stability.