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A Learning Lifestyle
A Learning Lifestyle
My preschoolers are officially not preschoolers any more. As we step into Kindergarten and 2nd grade, and as a family new to "officially" homeschooling, I recently bought writing curriculum from BraveWriter and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The guidance offered essentially advocates for 1) focusing on creating an environment filled with books, music, and experiences; and, 2) a language-rich lifestyle - one where you listen to your child, respond thoughtfully, and pursue ideas together. (This builds on what we know about how preschoolers learn, too. ) She, of course, weaves writing lessons into the day and provides structure so parents don't have to come up with everything on their own. (Whew!)
Books, Music, and Experiences
Books, Music, and Experiences
Despite being regulars at the library, I often find myself scouring the catalog and shelves for books that might work to answer my child's question or delve deeper into the subject du jour. It is no wonder why lists are some of the most popular blogs in the world. You know the ones: "101 Books to Read Before Kindergarten," "10+ Children's Books to Inspire Kindness," and my own "24 Books for Preschool Engineers."
A Smaller, More Approachable List
A Smaller, More Approachable List
The problem is that sometimes we want a smaller, more approachable list. One with fewer books that includes other things. I just want a few good books, a CD, and a video, perhaps a toy. Something like a thoughtful little themed basket.
Invitation to Learn
Invitation to Learn
It is in the spirit of having a small sampling of one topic that I am writing Invitations to Learn. Each invitation grows from our homeschool life and is a pint-sized unit of study for the DIY crowd. With this list, I am inviting you to learn alongside your child and giving you a small amount of guidance for creating a rich learning environment in your home or school.
Read a book one day; listen to an audiobook another day; watch a movie a different day; go on a field trip a different day. By offering one great thing at a time, you are inviting your child to learn with you and enjoy learning with you! Over time you and your child will consider the topic in several different ways, using different materials, have different but related conversations about it, and you will grow your knowledge in wonderfully robust ways.
INVITATION TO LEARN ARCHITECTURE
INVITATION TO LEARN ARCHITECTURE
We discovered the book "Who Built That?" and it opened a unit of study in architecture!
Beware! There are a LOT of books out there. These are our favorites because they are well-written, beautiful, and interesting. "Iggy Peck" and "The World is Not a Rectangle" can be read in a single sitting and, in my house, they were. The other books we used differently...reading one page or one topic at a time.
"Dreaming Up" could be read in a single sitting. However, each page-spread suggests a different provocation for building along with the real-life architectural interest to which it relates. What is really appealing is that most of the materials are probably laying around your house like blankets, a deck of cards, toothpicks, or wooden blocks.
Enjoy!!
I have found some of these at the library or for free online. For your convenience, I will also include affiliate links to Amazon when available.
For the full Amazon list click here: Amazon Wishlist "Invitation to Learn Architecture."
Meet Iggy Peck—creative, independent, and not afraid to express himself! In the spirit of David Shannon’s No, David and Rosemary Wells’s Noisy Nora, Iggy Peck will delight readers looking for irreverent, inspired fun.
Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials—who could forget the tower he built of dirty diapers? When his second-grade teacher declares her dislike of architecture, Iggy faces a challenge. He loves building too much to give it up! With Andrea Beaty’s irresistible rhyming text and David Roberts’s puckish illustrations, this book will charm creative kids everywhere, and amuse their sometimes bewildered parents.
Age Range: 5 and up
Lexile Measure: AD850L (What's this?)
Hardcover: 32 pages
Get to know Zaha Hadid in this nonfiction picture book about the famed architect’s life and her triumph over adversity from celebrated author-illustrator Jeanette Winter.
Zaha Hadid grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, and dreamed of designing her own cities. After studying architecture in London, she opened her own studio and started designing buildings. But as a Muslim woman, Hadid faced many obstacles. Determined to succeed, she worked hard for many years, and achieved her goals—and now you can see the buildings Hadid has designed all over the world.
- Age Range: 5 - 10 years
- Grade Level: Kindergarten - 5
- Hardcover: 56 pages
A collection of illustrations, concrete poetry, and photographs that shows how young children's constructions, created as they play, are reflected in notable works of architecture from around the world.
- Age Range: 5 - 10 years
- Grade Level: Kindergarten - 3
- Lexile Measure: AD550L (What's this?)
- Hardcover: 40 pages
Note from Julie: This book would be a wonderful guide for provocation/activities.
Nothing in the built world captures the imagination like the skyscraper. Behind every soaring tower stands a designer with courageous vision and enough engineering know-how to pull off incredible feats of architectural derring-do. Who Built That? Skyscrapers is a colorful tour of the world's tallest buildings and the larger-than-life personalities who built them. Beginning with a brief biographical sketch of each architect, illustrator Didier Cornille imaginatively depicts the construction of eight of the world's most impressive skyscrapers. From Gustave Eiffel's Eiffel Tower (1889) in Paris and Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building (1958) in New York City to the tallest man-made structure in the world, Adrian Smith's Burj Khalifa (2010) in Dubai, this primer will introduce readers of all ages to new heights of architectural wonder.
Age Range: 10 - 13 years
Grade Level: 2 - 7
Series: Who Built That?
Hardcover: 84 pages
Aimed at young, enquiring minds, An Igloo on the Moon explores how and why we build. Beginning with the igloo, whose origins are lost in time, and culminating in the latest 3D-printing technology for lunar habitation, the book weaves together themes and ideas to create an unfolding visual story. Illustrated with a sequence of extraordinary collages, specially created by artist Adrian Buckley, the book ranges through history and across continents. Underlying the narrative is an awareness of environmental issues and the need to reconnect with sustainable patterns of building. It is a book to engage the next generation of architects - and their parents and teachers.
- Age Range: 9 - 12 years
- Grade Level: 3 - 7
- Hardcover: 132 pages
Aspiring architects will be in their element! Explore this illustrated narrative history of buildings for young readers, an amazing construction in itself.
We spend most of our lives in buildings. We make our homes in them. We go to school in them. We work in them. But why and how did people start making buildings? How did they learn to make them stronger, bigger, and more comfortable? Why did they start to decorate them in different ways? From the pyramid erected so that an Egyptian pharaoh would last forever to the dramatic, machine-like Pompidou Center designed by two young architects, Patrick Dillon’s stories of remarkable buildings — and the remarkable people who made them — celebrates the ingenuity of human creation. Stephen Biesty’s extraordinarily detailed illustrations take us inside famous buildings throughout history and demonstrate just how these marvelous structures fit together.
- Age Range: 9 - 12 years
- Grade Level: 4 - 7
- Lexile Measure: 1060L (What's this?)
- Hardcover: 96 pages
A huge and very destructive earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. Now Jacob and India are there, learning how to support and protect buildings during earthquakes. Your kids will engineer model buildings that are earthquake resistant. They’ll also develop building codes that help others build earthquake resistant structures.
Note from Julie: This is free curriculum. You can buy your own materials or they have a set you can purchase from their site.
Basic Building Materials
Basic Building Materials
There is a wide variety of toys and materials for building. (See "Dreaming Up" for ideas for using toothpicks and candy, sand and rocks, blankets and pillows, playing cards, and many more.) Below I'm listing some of the basic toys that we use over and over in our home.
60 natural finished, smooth-sanded hardwood blocks to inspire hands-on, imaginative play
Packaged in a handsome, wooden tray for easy storage
Ideal for introducing early math concepts, including shapes, parts-to-whole, and sorting
Exceptional quality and value
- Ages 3 years and up
- A total of 100 piece set 98 Magnetic tiles & 2 wheel bases.
- Includes Windows .Fully compatible with other brands.
- Clear transparent tiles Color Red Purple Blue Green & Yellow.
- Made of top quality & Safety tested to for all american guide lines.
- Comes packaged in a beautiful box and makes an amazing gift.
Note from Julie: There are a variety of magnetic builders by different companies like MagnaTile, Magformers , Picasso Tiles, and Tegu. In our experience, they all work beautifully for building.
- Build a detailed model of the New York City Skyline, including the Statue of Liberty!
- Model features the Flatiron Building, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, and the One World Trade Center
- Includes collectible booklet containing information about the design, architecture and history of the building
- LEGO Architecture building toys are compatible with all LEGO construction sets for creative building
- New York City Skyline measures 10 inches high, 9 inches wide, and 1 inch deep
- 598 pieces – For boys and girls over the age of 12 years old
Note from Julie: The LEGO Architecture series offers wide variety of skylines (London, Chicago, etc.)and popular architectural interests (e.g., Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Burj Khalifa, etc.). I include NYC here because it goes along with something we learned in the "Who Built That?" book.
When she writes, Julie draws from both her formal education (MSE Electrical Engineering, MA Curriculum and Instruction - Science) and her informal education in Early Childhood Education and Special Needs Parenting that arose when she became a mother and shortly thereafter a blogger. Julie’s blog, Preschool Engineering, is where she advocates for children (and adults) as playful, independent Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math learners. Her experience and interests are a natural fit for her work Free-Learning in Colorado. Julie lives in Superior, CO with her husband of 16 years and their two children. In her spare time she reads, hikes, and practices kundalini yoga.
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