Educational Focus Areas

Building, Imagination, Engineering, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Collaboration, fine and gross motor skills, visual motor skills.

Description

Design and build using the blue blocks! Aiming to build the tallest tower? Maybe an obstacle course for your friends? Explore all the possibilities! Children will unlock their creativity and engineer their own buildings, landscapes and more! Enjoy this open-ended play activity while expanding upon imagination and creativity skills. Children can work together to create buildings, landscapes, cities and anything else they can think of locally and around the world! Once built, children can engage in movement and gross motor skills while they climb and interact with their new structures. This exhibit celebrates collaborative architecture and gives participants the pleasurable experience of designing their own space.

Age Level

3 and above

PBS Connection

Wild Kratts - Building a Beaver Pond (video)

https://wqed.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/05477d3c-3c1e-460b-b362-9f65fa9620d7/05477d3c-3c1e-460b-b362-9f65fa9620d7/#.XhOTuVVKi70

Explore the building power of beavers and the large impact they can have on the environment when they build a dam! Viewers see an example of a pond that formed as a result of a dam in a river and learn about the habitat created for many animals as a result of the pond!

Adaptations

Potentially creating on a raised surface for certain children to build on who are unable to play on the floor. Provide models of various items to build.

Extensions Activities

• Connecting to our PBS digital media content, have children learn how and why beavers construct dams
• Children create various buildings, natural landscapes throughout Beaver County with blocks
• Geography connection-Children try to recreate various skyscrapers and wonders around the world

Special thanks to the Grable Foundation for their support of this exhibit.