Homeschool Day Program Descriptions

The following are some of the programs that may be offered during the Museum's Homeschool Days. Not all programs for all ages are offered on all Homeschool Days. Register for the programs.

Jump to a Program Description:

Architecture 101, 7-14 year olds NEW!
Be a Green Builder, 10-14 year olds
Become a Cartographer, 8-10 year olds NEW!
Become a City Planner, 10-14 year olds NEW!
Build a Green Roof, 4-7 year olds NEW!
City by Design, 5-10 year olds
Design your Dream House, 10-14 year olds NEW!
Drawing on History Tour, 8-14 year olds
Engineering Egg Drop, 8-14 year olds NEW!
Frieze Stories, 5-10 year olds NEW!
Fuller's Fantastic Geodesic Dome, 10-14 year olds UPDATED!
Miniature Park Design, 8-10 year olds NEW!
My House, My Home, 4-6 year olds NOW INCLUDES EXHIBITION VISIT
Patterns Here, There, and Everywhere, 4-6 year olds
Washington: Symbol and City, 8-10 year olds 

Architecture 101 

7-14 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on January 15, 2013 for ages 7-9 and on March 27, 2013 for ages 7-9 and ages 10-14.

Students explore the Museum’s new interactive exhibition, Play Work Build, as part of a fun and fast-paced introduction to how architects use the design process. Students observe, draw, and use their math knowledge to learn two skills crucial to being an architect: model making and building planning.  Students will take home their drawings.

Be a Green Builder 

10-14 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012; on January 15, 2013; and on March 27, 2013.

Students become carpenters and use power screwdrivers to raise the roof and wall frames as they assemble an 8’ x 11’ house. 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. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.

Become a Cartographer 

8-10 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on January 15, 2013 and on March 27, 2013.

Students learn about the features of maps including compasses and legends. Then, from memory, students draw a map of their neighborhoods. After drawing this “memory map,” students brainstorm changes they would like to see in their communities, like a roller coaster or a community police station. Students then add these ideas to their maps using tracing paper to “improve” their neighborhoods.  Students will take home their drawings.

Become a City Planner 

10-14 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on January 15, 2013.

In this grown-up version of the Museum’s City by Design program, students consider the infrastructure necessary to create and sustain a healthy, safe, and productive community. Students plan a new community through a town hall process and then working in small groups, they design the layout of the city like a city planner would.  

Build a Green Roof 

4-7 year olds, 1.5 hours
Offered on January 15, 2013 and on March 27, 2013.

Students learn about green roofs, the practice of growing plants on a building’s roof to absorb rain water and to make buildings more environmentally friendly. After looking at photographs of green roofs, students build a model house with craft materials and a roof using real dirt and grass seeds. Students will take home their houses to watch their green roofs grow!

City by Design 

5-10 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012 for ages 7-9 and on March 27, 2013 for ages 5-7.

Students become city planners for the day as they design and build 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. Students will take home their model buildings. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.

Design your Dream House   

10-14 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012.

Students become architects in this program! They learn how to do four types of architectural drawings: elevation, floor plan, section, and one-point perspective. After practicing these drawing techniques with green peppers, students then brainstorm ideas for their dream houses. Students then draw an elevation and floor plan of their dream houses.  Students will take home their drawings.

Drawing on History Tour 

8-14 year olds, 1.5 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012 for ages 8-10; on January 15, 2013 for ages 10-14; and on March 27, 2013 for ages 8-10.

On this 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. Students will take home their drawings.

Engineering Egg Drop 

8-14 year olds, 1.5 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012 for ages 8-10 and on January 15, 2013 for ages 10-14.

Students learn about the process engineers use to bring new ideas to life. Students are then given an engineering problem to solve: how can they get a dropped raw egg safely from the Museum’s second floor balcony to the first floor carpet without breaking? Students then get two attempts to design a structure to keep their egg safe during its drop -- using only one sheet of paper and a rubber band!

Frieze Stories 

5-10 year olds, 1.5 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012 for ages 5-7 and on January 15, 2013 for ages 8-10.

Students learn about the elements of a story, including characters, setting, and plot.  Students then learn the story of the National Building Museum and of the Civil War by looking at the frieze around the Museum’s exterior. Students then tell the story of their families by creating friezes for their houses out of clay. Students will take home their friezes. 

Fuller’s Fantastic Geodesic Dome 

10-14 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012 and on March 27, 2013.

Buckminster Fuller is best known for developing the structurally-innovative geodesic dome, which has been called, “the strongest, most cost-effective structure ever devised.” Students learn about engineering principles and geometry as they investigate geodesic domes. Students then work together to construct a 6.5 x 13’ geodesic dome in the Museum’s Great Hall and apply what they have learned by assembling their own “geo” balls to take home. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.

Miniature Park Design 

8-10 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on March 27, 2013.

Students explore two public park spaces near the National Building Museum: Judiciary Square across the street and the Museum’s West Lawn. Students then look at photographs of parks and playgrounds and brainstorm what makes a great public space. Students then plan their own parks and build a model park using craft materials. Students will take home their mini parks.

My House, My Home 

4-6 year olds, 1.5 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012 and on March 27, 2013.

Students explore the Museum's House & Home exhibition to learn about different kinds of American homes, both past and present. Through the exhibition's photographs and models and a participatory book reading, students learn about the process of building a house and the features common to all homes. Students then create their own houses out of colorful craft materials to take home.

Patterns Here, There, and Everywhere 

4-6 year olds, 1.5 hours
Offered on January 15, 2013.

Students learn about the importance of patterns in the buildings and world around them. On a scavenger hunt of the Museum’s building, students identify shapes and patterns by examining the walls, floors, and ceiling of the Museum. After investigating the Museum building, students head to a museum classroom to create patterns in individual booklets with a variety of materials. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.

Washington: Symbol and City 

8-10 year olds, 2 hours
Offered on November 14, 2012.

As the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., is both a city of residents and a national symbol. During this program students explore how some of Washington D.C.’s monuments and memorials are symbolic. Through this exploration of symbolic architecture, students learn about the history of D.C. then design their own symbolic building for the National Mall. Prepare your student for this program with pre-visit lessons.