Students explore the Museum’s new interactive exhibition, Play Work Build, as part of a fun and fast-paced introduction to how architects use the design process. Students observe, draw, and use their math knowledge to learn two skills crucial to being an architect: model making and building planning.  Students will take home their drawings.

Students become carpenters and use power screwdrivers to raise the roof and wall frames as they assemble an 8’ x 11’ house. While building, they learn about the hidden features that support buildings: foundations, frames, and trusses. Students are also introduced to sustainable “green” building materials and choices. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.

Students learn about the process engineers use to bring new ideas to life. Students are then given an engineering problem to solve: how can they get a dropped raw egg safely from the Museum’s second floor balcony to the first floor carpet without breaking? Students then get two attempts to design a structure to keep their egg safe during its drop -- using only one sheet of paper and a rubber band!

Students learn about green roofs, the practice of growing plants on a building’s roof to absorb rain water and to make buildings more environmentally friendly. After looking at photographs of green roofs, students build a model house with craft materials and a roof using real dirt and grass seeds. Students will take home their houses to watch their green roofs grow!

Students explore the Museum’s new interactive exhibition, Play Work Build, as part of a fun and fast-paced introduction to how architects use the design process. Students observe, draw, and use their math knowledge to learn two skills crucial to being an architect: model making and building planning.  Students will take home their drawings.

Students become city planners for the day as they design and build their own model city. Students consider the problems a city can have and offer solutions by planning their own community. They use their imaginations to design and construct model buildings for the city using colorful supplies and recycled materials. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons. Students will take home their model buildings.

Students explore the Museum's House & Home exhibition to learn about different kinds of American homes, both past and present. Through the exhibition's photographs and models and a participatory book reading, students learn about the process of building a house and the features common to all homes. Students then create their own houses out of colorful craft materials to take home.