Are you looking for some enjoyable but meaningful activities for your children? Would you like to help them explore the possibilities of a future in the architecture profession? Are you hunting for ways to increase their interest in the built environment? AIA Minnesota’s Architecture in the Schools Committee has developed a series of activities to help you to achieve all of these by exposing students to multidisciplinary knowledge, skills, critical and systems thinking, and fun activities.

Activities are organized around different architectural topics. The activities include video and lectures, article and book reading, free and structured writing, and library and online research. Additional opportunities include virtual tours, multimedia documentation, analytical skill practice, conceptual and detailed design, and storytelling. Students have the opportunity to practice hands-on sketching, technical drawings, diagramming, and physical modeling. Activities are aligned with STEM education, art and social studies, which are fundamental for architects.

Every activity offers different levels of complexity based on a student’s educational level and cognitive capacity. Level 1: Pre-K – Grade 3 (ages 3-8); Level 2: Grades 4-6 (ages 9-11); Level 3: Grades 7-9 (ages 12-14); and Level 4: Grades 10-12 (ages 15-17). 

Students who complete a camp and share their accomplishments every day via social media or e-mail will be certified as a “Future Architect” awarded by AIA Minnesota (American Institute for Architects, Minnesota Chapter). Those who read books listed in “One Thousand and One Nights” for ten days and share takeaways can also earn this award. We hope these activities will plant a seed of curiosity and encourage students to be proud of their talents and hard work.

“One Thousand and One Nights” in Architecture

Every Night, Architects Read for Kids

Best for: Ages 2-6

Inspired by the famous collection of folk tales, One Thousand and One Nights, the Architecture in the Schools Committee has prepared a book list along with videos of live reading. Some videos are open sources online, while other titles are read by local architects. Find the titles that best fit your child’s cognitive level. Click for book lists.

 

10 Days of Learning: Skyscraper

Intense Individual Online Camp

Best for: Ages PreK – Grade 6

Our living environment changes when more and more people live in high-rise buildings like apartments, condos, and hotels instead of single-family houses. Our social patterns changed when “tower tubes” modified the make-up of city centers. Urbanism is motivated and accelerated when superstructures become a solution for creating high density.

What is your experience with skyscrapers in your home city? Are you interested in the stories behind these stunning giants? Would you like to design one?

What do skyscrapers mean, beyond being just a type of building? Which will be the next to claim the title of “world’s tallest building?” How will future marvels be designed sustainably and resiliently?

In this camp, you will learn the history, present, and future of skyscrapers through given facts and theories, self-driven discovery, experimental and professional analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual design. After completing the activities, you will understand skyscrapers in multiple scales. Click here for details.

5 Activities at HOME

Family Activity Online Camp

Best for: Ages PreK – Grade 6

How much do you know about your home? In what ways have you used it differently during the time of COVID-19? Have you ever thought about how to express your love for your home and an important component of home—family?

This camp intends to be a catalyst for family activities or undertaken by a student on his or her own.

You would be amazed by how dramatic the forms of home can take but how common home is to people all over the world. This group of activities will invite students to examine homes from around the world and compare them to homes in your neighborhood, identifying commonalities and differences. Upon completing the online camp, students will gain a deeper understanding of the elements, styles, neighborhood, and community that you may see daily but have never paid attention to. With this deeper understanding, think about what your dream home is like and how can you make your current home better.

Enjoy this HOME Camp at HOME by clicking here.