Explore The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steve Guarnaccia, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. Enhance the experience with our free printable STEM activity designed just for this book!
Architecture Projects For Kids
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.
What is STEM? STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math! Often, an A for art will be added to create STEAM, which is a little of our project. A good STEM activity will combine at least two STEM or STEAM pillars.
ALSO CHECK OUT: STEAM Activities For Kids
Three Little Pigs STEM Challenge
Below, you will find great resources you can download and use for your Architectural STEM project.
The Challenge:
Design, build, and test structures inspired by the Three Little Pigs. Will your structure stand?
Supplies:
- Straw (e.g., hay, shredded paper)
- Sticks (e.g., craft sticks, twigs)
- Bricks (e.g., LEGO bricks, sugar cubes)
- Optional: paper, foam, clay
- Glue (hot glue, school glue)
- Tape (masking tape, clear tape)
- Scissors
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Hairdryer or small fan to test the houses
- Weights (e.g., coins, small toys)
Instructions:
STEP 1. Begin by reading or summarizing “The Three Little Pigs.” Discuss the different materials (straw, sticks, bricks) the pigs used and the outcome of their efforts against the wolf’s huffing and puffing.
STEP 2: Students are asked to plan their house using various materials that mimic those used in the story. They can draw blueprints or sketches of their ideas, considering factors like stability, strength, and durability. Use the free printable planning sheets below!
STEP 3: Students build their houses using provided materials such as straws, popsicle sticks, and small bricks (or LEGO bricks). They assemble their structures using glue, tape, and scissors.
STEP 4: The constructed houses are tested to see how well they withstand the “wolf’s” efforts to blow them down. This is typically simulated using a hairdryer or fan to represent the wolf’s huffing and puffing.
Observations are made regarding which materials and designs were most effective in resisting the force of the air.
STEP 5: After testing, discuss the results. Evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and why. Consider how different materials and construction techniques affected the stability and strength of their houses.
STEP 6: Reflect on the design and building process. Think about what they would do differently next time and how they could improve their designs.
GET YOUR FREE ARCHITECTURAL STEM PRINTABLE PAGES BELOW!
Tips For Setting Up Three Pigs STEM Activity
1. Discuss The Book
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.
2. Watch Architecture Videos
We love to use YouTube to find cool videos 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 Frank Lloyd Wright’s works and about what houses look like around the world.
Check out the videos below that my son enjoyed. Watch them with your kids and talk about what’s happening, too. Then we watched this excellent video on unusual homes. We also enjoyed discussing 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 its design. Obviously, pigs love it too!
3. Design and Draw A House
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, which are shown above.
I made two options. The 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? Think about 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 name your house, but this also allows you to investigate your home and discover 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!
More Fun STEM Challenges To Try
Paper Grabber – Use your creativity and engineering skills to build a grabbing tool made from paper.
Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower – Build the tallest spaghetti tower that can hold the weight of a jumbo marshmallow.
Paper Bridges – Similar to our strong spaghettti challenge. Design a paper bridge with folded paper. Which one will hold the most coins?
Egg Drop Challenge – Create your own designs to protect your egg from breaking when it is dropped from a height.
Strong Paper – Experiment with folding paper in different ways to test its strength, and learn about what shapes make the strongest structures.
Paper Clip Challenge – Grab a bunch of paper clips and make a chain. Are paper clips strong enough to hold weight?
Printable STEM Pack For Kids
80+ Doable Engineering Projects in one convenient pack!
- Full instructions with sample images
- Activity-specific instruction sheets
- Data Collection Sheets
- Questions for Reflection
- Architecture Building Cards: Try the tallest tower challenge
- Bridge Building Cards: Explore different types of bridges to build your own.
- Paper Chain STEM Challenge: Who can make the longest chain? Great icebreaker or quick challenge!
- 3 Little Pigs Architectural Pack: Design a house that won’t blow away!
- Great marshmallow challenge: A classic challenge kids love!
- Real-world STEM challenge lesson but don’t know where to start? Our easy-to-follow template shows the steps!
- What’s the difference between a scientist and an engineer?
- Crossword and word search with engineering vocabulary.
- Engineering vocabulary cards
- Design a one-of-a-kind invention and write about it with this 5-page activity!
LOVE the design pages!!