Tsumiki is the Japanese word for “wooden blocks”. How convenient that a Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, has designed a set of wooden blocks in triangular shapes. They look so beautiful and made of cedar wood (approved from the forest conservation organization, More Trees.) They are only available in Japan right now and we look forward to […]
Category: building projects
Got the Winter Blues? Build a Cardboard House!
You don’t need much to build a cardboard house and if you are stuck inside this winter, you might build something really interesting! (To see a world famous architect who uses cardboard/paper to make structures in the world, read about architect Shigeru Ban. A couple of the houses are from kits, but generally you can […]
5 Minute Origami House for Young Children
Click on the image on the left to see this animation and learn how to fold a SQUARE of paper into an origami house. Make it as big as you want depending on the size of the original paper. And decorate it like crazy! A simple gabled house can be a fun activity in a classroom, at […]
Record Breaking Legos in UK!
On August 10th, you need to get to the Boroughbridge Library (in Boroughbridge, UK of course…) because there is going to be an event to build with lots and LOTS of Legos! Anyone is welcome and the session is free. We live in the US, but this might warrant a trip across the pond (also […]
Construction Contest for Kids
Do you know about K’Nex? It is a company that makes small plastic building toys that snap together and can move and be large and flexible. 5 to 14 Year olds are able to enter. From June 8 til August 28 this K’Nex company is holding a contest for K’Nex builders, called K’Nexperts. They say […]
Join the Green Dollhouse Challenge
We just heard about the Green Dollhouse Challenge, a competition of the most politically correct kind! In this Challenge, participants range from 1 – 100 years old, pre-schoolers to aged architects (and anyone in between.) Sponsored by the EnergyTeachers.org organization, the competition is meant to encourage creative thinking in the field of energy efficiency, sustainability, […]
Neat Architecture Book for Kids
A design and build architecture firm in the UK, called Moon, had an awful good idea to write a children’s book about architecture. And what a book they made! Detailed illustrations show the inside of a “Design/Build” office (and we think that the people in the picture are probably the real members of the office […]
Architecture Classroom Poster
The designers at Pop Chart Lab created a beautiful infographic – otherwise known as a graphic with lots of information on it – all about significant architectural structures from around the world. It looks like a bunch of small blueprint drawings of each building, and the significant facts about each are listed too, like location, […]
Building with Bottles + Bamboo
Take things that you have around, like plastic bottles and bamboo sticks, and make a lovely little building for the garden or a playhouse. How great! Keeping the environment in mind and keeping a lot of plastic out of the garbage dump. Here are some photos about a bottle and bamboo garden house in Viet […]
Crafty Kids can Make Furniture NOW!
An architect in Switzerland had a nifty web site called FoldSchool – see it at foldschool.com. There are a few designs for cardboard furniture that can be made by kids. They are cool designs and functional. The supply list is short and they can be recycled when you are done using them! We highly recommend […]