School Project Help - Need Advice

[Soccermomm]

Its that time of year, school projects. DS is in 4th grade and has to make a replica of a building. I am not sure what should be used to make the building and what is the easiest to work with.

Please send me all your advice to help with this.

[toby]

Its that time of year, school projects. DS is in 4th grade and has to make a replica of a building. I am not sure what should be used to make the building and what is the easiest to work with.

Please send me all your advice to help with this.

I have never made a building, but was thinking sugar cubes or gingerbread? Is there a building that he has to make or can he pick one? If he can pick, how about the White House with frosting to hold sugar cubes in place? I am totally making this up! I strongly dislike school projects- they stress me out to no end.

[ahisma]

What building does he need to make. Michaels sells this in a few different colors:

http://www.amazon.com/FloraCraft-Styrofoam-Kits-Make-Fun/dp/B002HMI6W8

[twowhat?]

Have you asked your DS what ideas he has? I remember these projects and they are meant to try to get the kids to be as creative as possible with materials. You can use anything - I saw castles from sugar cubes (you only have to wet the face of the cubes to get them to "stick" together when they dry), igloos with marshmallows, and things like that. You can use toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls for lighthouses, popsicle sticks for log cabins (even Q-tips!). Of course there is always cardboard and duct tape too:) I'd start with asking your DS what ideas he has and then help him develop it. Or if he wants to do a particular building, post back so we can pitch in with ideas! I would just mount it on something sturdy and transport-able (like a cardboard cake platter)...it would suck for it to fall apart en route to school:)

[niccig]

DS just had this. Everyone was given a milk carton - a small one kids gets in school lunches. DS painted it, it took several coats to cover up the writing on the carton. He put brown paper squares on the roof to look like shingles. He drew windows and doors on paper, cut them out and stuck them on. He wanted a balcony. Card for the balcony floor, match sticks for railing, then to attach to the carton, I cut 2 slits with a box cutter and pushed in popsicle sticks, they were glued in place, then the balcony was glued to the sticks. The house was stuck to a thick piece of cardboard. Green paper for grass, patterned paper from scrap booking was the driveway. Finally to finish it off, he used velcro to put a toy tree on the grass and a matchbox car on the driveway (used velcro dots).

I was quite impressed with how creative he was.

[rlu]

DS would suggest legos or lincoln logs. Can it be from "building toys" or does it need to be more from scratch?

Haven't had this project (yet?) but he does have to create a "physical representation" of his oral book report each month. In the past he has built a long house from popsicle sticks and recently recreated a Katrina rescue scene using a lego house with balcony, rainbow loom & toothpick rescue ladder, and a rc helicoptor. I'm guessing these physical representations may substitute for the building project.

[khalloc]

I'd use Legos if thats allowed!

[vonfirmath]

I'd use Legos if thats allowed!

Will it be on display at all?

Be aware Legos are somewhat less likely to come HOME from school. They have a habit of disappearing, even when only there for one school day.

[egoldber]

Ugh. These are the exact arts and crafts projects that I intensely dislike. Some kids will come in with a melty glob of Model Magic and others will have perfect replicas of the Taj Mahal.

[squimp]

For these projects I let DD dig around in her "craft supplies" box which includes shoeboxes, pipe cleaners, egg cartons, popsicle sticks, etc., etc. If DD wanted to to a sugar cube model of the White House, I'd buy the supplies but I am not getting involved! I will support and provide materials, but she is supposed to make these things. I don't care if it's not a perfect marvel of engineering, but as long as she is not in tears with frustration or perfectionism, it's her work and it's fine.

We had a project like this in 3rd grade and the coolest houses I thought were made out of natural materials like twigs and moss, but maybe I am biased.

[Jen841]

Boxes always work well. Shoe box is great. You can mount to a poster board and Landscape is needed.

[mjs64]

There are some cool dioramas at teachers supply shops. The sides of the buildings are preprinted, but it definite requires building skills to cut, assemble, and glue the pieces together. On phone now but will look for a link.
Not sure though if it will meet the teacher's requirements

[mjs64]

There are also lots of ideas for building on YouTube: I searched school diorama and saw lots of ideas.

[maestramommy]

My kids saw a castle in a princess craft book and made a model using snack boxes, paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls. They covered it with a combo of poster paint and tissue paper with mod podge. If you can cut open the boxes and turn them inside out, it wont' be so hard to cover. But there is a lot kids can do with cardboard, tape and paint :)

I totally hear egoldber, and while I don't dislike these projects presentation day always makes me roll my eyes. You can tell how creative the kids are when the ideas are amazing but the execution is obviously kid level, and that's what I enjoying seeing. It amazes me when parents freely admit they did the whole thing because, "I have a 2nd grade boy! he doesn't care!" yes I actually heard that this year.

[Soccermomm]

Well the good news, is that the building is only 15% of his grade. (whew!) It must a replica of a state landmark. We are doing a building that is over 100 years old. the buidling cant be larger than 24inches by 18 inches.

thank you for the sugar cube idea the block kit sold at amazon and michaels. I guess we will discuss what he would like to do when he gets home. I was thinking of card board boxes, but this building is not a nice simply rectangle shape, and then it would need to be painted white.

Ill keep you posted.