teach it

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If you want to teach about architecture to kids, you might want to use some of these resources.

 

CURRICULA FOR ARCHITECTURE STUDY FOR KIDS

Here are a few thorough currucula that have been developed by various teachers and architects across the US. They get to be sort of repetitive, but there are gems in each one:

  1. Architecture:
    It’s Elementary!     by the AIA of Michigan and the Michigan Architecture Foundation
  2. Workbook on How Architects Design Buildings by Lynn Craig, of the AIA Greenville, South Carolina
  3. NYCkidsARTS curriculum guideAssorted lessons that link to architecture from the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. Speaking of architecture…take a look at the Museum building itself (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright)!
  4. ViewFinders Too by the staff of the Dunn Foundation, where students are challenged to look at their communities critically and creatively develop their vision of the future. (Fee for curriculum)
  5. Learning By Design by the Boston Society of Architects, which is mostly a list
    of programs that they offer but there might be some new ideas for you
  6. ARCHITECT STUDIO 3D Allows you to design a house with Frank Lloyd Wright on-line at http://architectstudio3d.org/AS3d/design_studio3d.html
  7. Architecture in Schools
    This is a well-thought-out program in British Columbia, Canada, a part of the Architectural Institue of British Columbia. If you are thinking about developing a program,and for some great ideas and insights, look here…

 

WRITINGS ABOUT KIDS LEARNING THROUGH ARCHITECTURE

1.
The archKIDecture Build IT! Exhibit Project by Julie Cowan in the Nexus Network Journal

This essay describes how an interactive exhibit supports learning a myriad of concepts written by …well, by me.

2.Global Movement in Architecture Design Education for Yourth, by Atsuko Sakai published in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture newletter, the ACSA NEWS in October 2006.

This is a comprehensive article describing the current state of architecture education for kids around the globe. It illustrates the need for more of this kind of education.

3. Kids/Block/Learning by Patircia Gaffney Ansel at the Yale-New Have Teachers Institute

This essay provides an excellent defense of why all kids should use building blocks. Blocks of any sort are excellent self activity that can teach kids any number of skills.

 

OTHER WEB LINKS ABOUT ARCHITECTURE + KIDS

Lots of book recommendations:
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/buildings.html

PBS’s Building Big Series
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/

PBS’s Design Squad
http://pbskids.org/designsquad/…especially this episode on building cardboard furniture: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/challenges/s2-ep1.html

 

WORD LIST

Here is an architecture word list that will develop each week with new definitions.