An Introduction to Architecture: Making a Bug House KS1
A fun and exciting task for children to complete at home, providing an early introduction to the subject of architecture.
The idea
This ‘Introduction to Architecture’ pack, developed by a student at the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA), contains a range of resources, recommendations and lesson activities to be delivered in the classroom environment to Reception and Key Stage 1 learners (Ages 4-7).
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak we would like to provide this project to schools and families as a home task that children and families can complete.
Progress
The pack was developed following a three-hour arts and crafts stall at the Grangetown Festival, June 2015, where local children had a go at making a bug house.
A range of recycled materials were provided and the activity was fairly broad in order to allow the children to be as creative as possible, to test to see how much guidance and prompting was needed, and different construction techniques/designs children naturally used. Over the three hours, about 20 children visited our stall, from the ages of Reception to Year 7.
The pack is focused around the task of creating a bug house using recycled materials, which allows children to begin to understand architecture within the context of designing for small animals rather than people.
We hope that through this fun and exciting task, children will become acquainted with architecture. We intend that through designing something for a specific purpose, by learning about the needs of specific bugs and applying them to their design, learners’ creativity and problem-solving abilities will be built upon.
The lesson plan also aims to build upon numeracy and literacy skills through a number of worksheets with writing and drawings tasks, which can be found in our section of supporting resources.
The main aim of this activity is to encourage children to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills through the challenge of creating a house for bugs, whilst introducing architecture as a profession.
Next steps
The main outcome of this project will be a life-size bug house for a specific species which is constructed from recycled and re-used materials and which can be inhabited in the outside environment.
To take part in the project please download the Making a bug house: Resource Pack