Engaging Architecture Projects for Groups of Kids

Years ago, when my kids were young, I began collecting and testing architecture-related projects that I could bring to one of our homeschool groups. Whether for science or crafts, I naturally wanted to bring my own expertise and interest in architecture, planning and map-making to the table. And we know kids learn better when there's some sort of hands-on, creative making involved.

Drawing maps on a field trip. Photo by author

One of my favorite resources for unique architecture-adjacent projects for kids is an online publication based in Spain called Amag! The projects in Amag! are designed by architects and, while seemingly simple, have depth: a carefully thought out and kid-friendly complexity in geometry, process and story rarely found in your typical pinterest pins. Here are a few Amag! and other architecture projects that I’ve had success with in our homeschool groups:

Spirit of the Hive

In our science co-op we learned about bees and used this Amag! project called the Spirit of the Hive:

Kids cutting out Amag! templates to explore geometry and build a rounded beehive. Photo by author

Learning about animal architecture and the importance of the individual in a community, the sum of small efforts by each of us. Photo by author

The finished beehive with honey and bees, built by kids ages 4–10.

The beehive project demonstrated the importance of each of us working together, like little honeybees, while exploring the hexagonal geometry of the hive, with tapered cylinders to create a rounded form- an unexpected take on a typical beehive. Further discussions on ecology and books read aloud during the activity added to the educational value.

Dwellers

Folded paper projects are so simple and fun for kids. Turning a sheet of flimsy paper into something structural is a bit like magic. This Amag! project, Dwellers, has a beautiful concept of a paper home that gathers and connects us, sheds rainwater and invites storytelling:

Building places to gather community. Photo by author

Acting Out Structures

Physics and structures can be taught to kids at an early age. Learning kinesthetically can be especially valuable. Kids can act out structures, feeling the forces of tension and compression in their bodies. Pair this with images of the same structures in buildings to enhance vocabulary building and understanding of physics.

illustration source unknown, photo by author

Understanding Structures

Kids love building with toothpicks and mini marshmallows (oh I wonder why!) Start by asking them to build a triangle and a square, and they will easily determine that the triangle is strong and rigid and doesn’t deform like other polygons. From that starting point they can construct in 3 dimensions: pyramids, tetrahedrons, cubes, and beyond, building any form they want, analyzing their models to find the the weak points.

Building structures with toothpicks and mini marshmallows. Exploring rigidity of different shapes and forms. Photo by author

Scaling up, we build with uncooked spaghetti and large marshmallows. The kids test the strength of the materials by pushing height and geometry to its limits. Spaghetti is easier to break into different size members than toothpicks inviting even more iterations.

Building and testing structures with spaghetti and marshmallows. Photo by author

Model making

It is also just as easy to entice creative building out of kids by providing a variety of model-making materials- cardboard, glue, colored paper, paper straws, pipe cleaners, felt, wooden sticks, paper towel tubes, colored masking tape, etc! Give them a prompt: design a playground, a house of the future, a winter cabin, the tallest structure you can build. Show them some inspiration and techniques for putting materials together and let them get to work!

Model building with kids. Photo by author

Model by 8 year old, Photo by author