Students learn about the features of maps including compasses and legends. Then, from memory, students draw a map of their neighborhoods. After drawing this “memory map,” students brainstorm changes they would like to see in their communities, like a roller coaster or a community police station. Students then add these ideas to their maps using tracing paper to “improve” their neighborhoods.  Students will take home their drawings.

In this grown-up version of the Museum’s City by Design program, students consider the infrastructure necessary to create and sustain a healthy, safe, and productive community. Students plan a new community through a town hall process and then working in small groups, they design the layout of the city like a city planner would.  

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 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 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.

On this tour, students gather clues about the National Building Museum’s historic building and its connection to the Civil War by looking closely at the building. Through guided sketching activities that reveal the hidden history of the building, students investigate its structure, function, and past and begin to see the built environment in new ways. Students will take home their drawings.

Students learn about the elements of a story, including characters, setting, and plot.  Students then learn the story of the National Building Museum and of the Civil War by looking at the frieze around the Museum’s exterior. Students then tell the story of their families by creating friezes for their houses out of clay. Students will take home their friezes. 

Students learn about the importance of patterns in the buildings and world around them. On a scavenger hunt of the Museum’s building, students identify shapes and patterns by examining the walls, floors, and ceiling of the Museum. After investigating the Museum building, students head to a museum classroom to create patterns in individual booklets with a variety of materials. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.