Teaching a class to build a house gives teachers the opportunity to introduce principles such as critical thinking and plan ahead. Students will benefit from learning about house building, and they will understand more about construction and the use of building materials. Introducing home building to students will give them an ideal of what to expect when they begin building their own home.
Foundations
In order to build a solid standing house, you will need a sturdy foundation. Have your class build Lincoln Log houses on different foundations such as gelatin, sand and a concrete block. Give each house a good shake and have kids explain what happened. They should observe that the more unstable the foundation, the more unstable the structure.
After you experiment, demonstrate how a good foundation is poured. In a wooden box filled with clean sand, use a trowel to create a small rectangle in the center. Prepare a cup of plaster of Paris in a throw carton and pour it into the wooden box. After the plaster hardens, show children what the foundation looks like.
Building Materials
Bring into your class a number of building materials. Choose some that you would typically use for building, such as wood, brick and shingles. Let children touch and feel each of the different building supplies. Then show the class substandard materials you would not want to use, such as paper, foam or sticks. Give kids a chance to show their building skills. Provide the children with a variety of materials and ask them which materials they would build their own home with. After sufficient play time with the materials, ask children which materials they believe worked best and why. Give children an opportunity to ask questions about the building materials. Explain to kids how each material is produced. Point out any "green" alternatives that kids might want to build their homes with.
Construction
Teach the class the proper order of construction in home building. This order should be foundation, framing and roofing. Bring to the classroom some miniature houses you've made from cardboard. You could substitute some doll's houses you've found at a thrift store for cardboard houses. Divide the houses into pieces: floor, roof and walls. Show the pieces to the class and ask them to help you construct the house with you. Ask the class if the roof is built first or the foundation. As the class properly identifies the order of construction, build the miniature houses as a demonstration. For a supplement to your lesson plan you could show kids construction equipment, such as hammers, nails, screws and drills.
Tags: build their, building materials, class build, home building, materials they, miniature houses, more unstable