Creative Construction with 5-8 year olds?

Question

I have an afterschool club and I'm looking for creative ideas to build or make during club time. For example we have made bridges out of popsicle sticks, houses out of popsicle sticks, houses out of legos, houses, cars and animals out of kennex. Any Ideas help!

Answer 1

Anything with paper mache.

How about a paper mache volcano project? My brother made one when he was in elementary school, and filled it up with something that made it "explode" (it oozed out stuff). I'm not sure how you'd do that, but it would be fun for the kids.

Answer 2

In our preschool, we did a unit where we talked about architecture and had the kids build a huge building out of random boxes of different sizes that they could actually go in.  We put it together with lots of tape and the kids painted it the next week.  They were really into it.  It would probably be even better with elementary kids because you could talk more about structure, etc.

Answer 3

Make a pyramid out of legos. This is for days when you don't have much else to do. When I was in first grade and I figured it out, the other kids started wanting to learn too. I had a few days and I taught them how to do it.

Basically you start with a square piece, then you connect square pieces underneath it, all the way around the edge. You do that for the next layer and the next until you have a pyramid.

Just a suggestion. :)

Answer 4

Make a building out of sugar cubes.

Answer 5

you could make puppets out of brown paper bags you could make them any animal the kids wanted and add construction paper to make ears or other things

hope that helps:]

Answer 6

I can tell you that kids love things that are real.  These 5-8 year olds know the difference between 2x4's  and toothpicks.  Go to one of the big home stores (home depot....Lowes)  I did construction then after school care and learned a lesson..........You can buy "reject 2x4's for about $1.00 each!!!! Just buy a bunch of these along with some blocks (about $2.00 for cinder block rejects) then let the kids take this where they want...if you stay out of the way and "model" what you want but don't get involved......these guys will blow you away.  At this age the fact that the boards are "life-sized" will inspire them to build.  Children do not like to be talked down to.  You can do this .......It might seem like this is too much but , if you let go of the control........they will come up with some incredible 2x4/block structures. Look at a book "HALF A CHILDHOOD"  that talks about presenting real material, and real problem solving as a scheme for problem solving and ownership.......GOOD LUCK!

PS. these materials are usable for at least a year....where others are thrown away after the activity.  State from the beginning the clean up crew is THEM!!!

Answer 7

Put out toliet paper tubes, tape, egg cartons, toothpicks, etc... , and let them make what they want. That's really creative

Answer 8

we've used toothpicks connected with marshmallow to build things before