Architectural STEM Project for Kids with The Three Little Pigs

What happens when you take a classic fairy tale like the The Three Little Pigs and you join it with architectural inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright? You get an awesome STEM picture book called The Three Little Pigs : An Architectural Tale written by Steve Guarnaccia. Of course, we had to come up with a cool architectural STEM project to go along with it and a free printable pack too!

ARCHITECTURAL STEM PROJECT IDEAS FOR KIDS

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Architecture, the design process, literature and more make this an awesome STEM activity for kids to explore. Getting started with STEM early is one of the best ways we can raise thinkers, doers, and inventors.

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What is STEM? STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math! Often times an A for art will be added to create the acronym STEAM which is a little of what our project is too. A good STEM activity will have at least two of the pillars of STEM or STEAM combined.

STEM is all around us, so why not get hands-on with it at an early age. You can read more about applying STEM principles with younger kids here or by clicking on the photo below. You will also see our favorite list of STEM inspired picture books that are a must for every kid’s library!

ARCHITECTURAL STEM PROJECT FOR KIDS: LET’S GET STARTED!

Below you will find great resources you can download and use for your Architectural STEM project. Click on the black download boxes for an instant download you can print.

There are several ways you can enjoy this awesome book, The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale! All provide a creative and hands-on approach using STEM or STEAM principles too.

Read the book together and chat about the different pig’s experiences with the houses they built. What worked? What didn’t work about each one and the materials they chose? Ask your kids to think about other types of houses and designs they have seen around the community.

WATCH

We love to use YouTube for finding cool videos to watch on subjects we find interesting! If used correctly, YouTube is a great resource for kids and families. I preview all videos first for appropriate content, language, and ads.

After we read through our book {for the millionth time}, we decided there were a few things we could learn more about. My son is a highly visual person, so YouTube is perfect.

What did we want to learn more about after reading this architectural tale?

We wanted to learn more about the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, and we wanted to learn more about what different houses look like around the world.

Check out these videos below that my son enjoyed. Watch them with your kids and talk about what’s happening too.

Then we watched this cool video on unusual homes. We also enjoyed talking about what the wolf from our book might think of them!

Then we wanted to learn more about the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Of course, we wanted to see more of Falling Water and it’s design. Obviously pigs love it too!

DESIGN/DRAW

In addition to watching the cool videos above….

Another awesome way to create an architectural STEM project that is perfect for one kid or a whole group is to use our design and planning sheets you will see below.

I made two options. First option is to design a completely new house from the imagination! Name your house and describe your house. What materials will you use to make your house. Remember what the three little pigs used for their house?

The second option has you taking a closer look at your own house! You can still give your house a name, but this also gives you the opportunity to investigate your house and find out about the building materials used to make it.

Both options allow you to design and draw to your heart’s content adding the ART to our STEM for STEAM!

BUILD

Now you have seen cool houses around the world and how they are made as well. You have also investigated your own house or designed your very own architectural masterpiece. What’s left?

How about building it! Make your design come to life. Repurpose materials around the house from the recycling bin to the junk drawer. We have a whole list for STEM ON A BUDGET. Also print out our design supplies list below and put together a kit with your kids!

Think about the architectural design elements that influenced Frank Lloyd Wright such as minimalism, cubism, expressionism, art nouveau, simply geometry, and the other architectural influences from around the world that you heard about in the video above.