For Immediate Release: October 14, 2011
Media Contact: Marketing and Communication Department
Next Homeschool Day is November 16
Homeschool students learn about architecture, engineering, and design on a Homeschool Day field trip to the National Building Museum.
WHAT
At the National Building Museum, on two specially-designed days per year, homeschool students ages 4-14 can explore the people, processes, and materials that create buildings and places by becoming city planners, designers, and engineers. They will experience the same hands-on programs that are offered to school groups throughout the year.
Homeschool Days at the National Building Museum inspire students to examine the buildings, places, and structures around them. Students identify problems, investigate situations, and use their creativity to imagine solutions. They construct plans or models to test out ideas and think critically as they evaluate their final products.
Each Homeschool Day offers a selection of the following programs:
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City by Design: Students become city planners for the day as they design their own model city. Students consider the problems a city can have and offer solutions by planning their own community. They use their imaginations to design and construct model buildings for the city using colorful supplies and recycled materials.
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Washington: Symbol and City: As the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., and its buildings act as national symbols. Students explore a Museum exhibition to learn about Washington and its symbolic architecture. Students then design their own symbolic buildings for the National Mall.
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Fuller’s Fantastic Geodesic Dome: Buckminster Fuller is best known for developing the structurally innovative geodesic dome. Students learn about engineering principles as they explore different roofing structures and the interlocking systems of triangles used to construct geodesic domes.
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My House, My Home: Students learn about the process of building a house through story, pictures, and an exploration of the Museum’s building. Students construct their own house out of colorful craft materials and look at photographs from around the world to see the common features of all homes.
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Be a Green Builder: Students become carpenters and use power screwdrivers to raise the roof and wall frames as they assemble an 8’ x 11’ house in one of the Museum’s classrooms. While building, they learn about the hidden features that support buildings: foundations, frames, and trusses. Students are also introduced to sustainable “green” building materials and choices.
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Drawing on History Tour: Students gather clues about the National Building Museum's historic building and its connection to the Civil War by looking closely at the building. Through guided sketching activities that reveal the hidden history of the building, students investigate its structure, function, and past and begin to see the built environment in new ways. Each student will take home a sketchpad with their drawings.
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Green by Design: Students explore how buildings affect and are affected by the environment. Students learn what makes a home environmentally sustainable, or “green,” by investigating models and photographs of green homes. Working in groups, students construct model green homes for several different geographic regions.
These interactive programs complement curricula in math, science, social studies, language, music, and art. These programs accommodate children ages 4-14 and a range of ability levels and learning styles, and they encourage teamwork and problem-solving skills.
WHERE
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line)
The $10 per child cost covers one child’s participation in one program. Adults can participate in the programs for free. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
If children or adults would like to visit the Museum’s exhibitions before or after a program, exhibition tickets, $5 per child and $8 per adult, may be purchased at the Museum on the day of your visit.
Register at go.nbm.org/homeschool.
WHEN
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
10:00 am –3:00 pm
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
