Marshmallows, crackers and celery are tasty items that can be used to create buildings. Give each child a container of small, regular and jumbo-sized marshmallows and a small bowl of frosting. With the use of a craft stick the children can smear frosting between the marshmallows and stack them to create buildings. Crackers and cheese spread or celery and cream cheese also make edible construction pieces. Children can even enjoy their creations at snack time.
Young children will enjoy creating skyscrapers, houses, bridges and roads with the use of colored paper or felt. Pre-cut a variety of squares, circles and rectangles in several sizes. Lay the shapes out and allow the children to choose which shapes they would like to create the buildings. Students can glue the shapes onto a piece of cardboard or poster board. Encourage the children to create more than one building or perhaps an entire neighborhood.
Items found outdoors can be used to create interesting buildings. Have the children collect sticks, leaves, pine cones, rocks and other items they find in their own backyard or around the playground. Give children a heavy piece of cardboard and have them create their building with the items they collected. Provide the children with wood or craft glue to help hold the pieces together.
Constructing a building out of cardboard can teach students the importance of teamwork and show each of them how they play an important role in the classroom. Have each student bring a cardboard box or cardboard tube to class. Allow children to paint their box or tube with tempera paint. After the paint has dried have the students work together to create a building. Encourage them to communicate with each other to find the best fit for each piece. Use craft glue or tape to fasten the pieces together.
Architects, engineers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, bricklayers and painters all play an important role in the construction of a building. Talk to the children about each group and what they do during the building process. Create a booklet for each child by stapling together several pieces of paper. Have the children title each page with the different construction groups. Provide the children with markers, crayons and colored pencils to draw appropriate pictures under each title. Pictures cut from old magazines can also be used.