Deep Dive into Construction

November and December have been exciting months for the Owlets, who have been immersed in the fascinating world of construction!

The Owlets read If I Build A School by Chris Van Dusen to begin the project. From the book they learned that with the right planning and materials you can make any type of building! Since then, our Owlet architects have been busy at school working together as a community to build a lot of interesting buildings.

They built with styrofoam, marshmallows, and pool noodles together as a class, and noticed that when they used toothpicks the materials were easier to stick together. This was also fun because when they were done with one building, they could easily take it apart and build it again!

The Owlets also learned that we can’t make buildings without tools! The Owlets have been enthusiastically learning about the many uses of different tools. To learn about tools, they played a fun game of Tool Bingo! This helped them learn the names of the tools and become more familiar with what they look like.

After they had a good idea of the different tools used in construction, the Owlets were very excited to welcome their first guest expert of the unit, Mr. Javi! Mr. Javi showed the Owlets some really cool tools like a level, hammer and nails, and screws. But the Owlets were even more impressed when he showed them the blueprint to our school! He shared that an architect designs a blueprint before the carpenters begin building the structure. 

David let the Owlets borrow a big binder that was filled with more blueprints of our school! It was interesting to take a closer look at our school’s building; the Owlets were able to point out different parts of the school that they recognized.

With a great understanding of what blueprints are, the Owlets designed their own buildings using a pencil, graph paper and a ruler, just like real architects!

Another important aspect of construction is safety! On a construction site, safety gear like a bright yellow vest, hardhats, gloves, boots and safety goggles are important, as is signage. The Owlets decided to put up signs around their classroom and playground to help others practice being safe too. The students had fun picking out where to put the signs! If you are around the Owlet classroom or walking through their yard, look around to see if you can spot their signs!

Some Owlets worked together to make different types of safety clothing! Some friends made a vest, while others made boots and safety goggles.

Watch this space for more insights into the Owlet Construction Project Unit, or join them for their unit Culmination on Wednesday, December 13th at 8:40 a.m.!

#SaklanProjectWork