Kindergarten
Skyscrapers
A skyscraper is a tall building of many floors, usually designed for office, commercial and residential use. Skyscrapers are usually found in big cities where lots of people live and land is very expensive. It makes more sense to build UP instead of out. Sometimes we don't think of architecture as being art, but it definitely is. Someone has to design buildings not only to be strong but also to look the unique way they do.
Here's what makes skyscrapers so unique:
Steel framework
Think of the walls in your house or school. In those buildings it is the walls made of wood or cement blocks that hold up the ceiling and roof. Not so in skyscrapers. There is an inner structure of steel, which is very strong, so the walls don't have to hold up anything.
Curtain walls
They call these walls "curtain walls" because they are like your curtains when they are closed--they cover up the wall, but they are definitely not holding up the roof! Since curtain walls don't have to be as strong, they are often made of glass.
Elevators
Can you imagine living or working on the 98th floor of a skyscraper and having to walk up and down STAIRS every day to get there? Thank goodness for the invention of elevators! Buildings just weren't as tall before them.
Here's what makes skyscrapers so unique:
Steel framework
Think of the walls in your house or school. In those buildings it is the walls made of wood or cement blocks that hold up the ceiling and roof. Not so in skyscrapers. There is an inner structure of steel, which is very strong, so the walls don't have to hold up anything.
Curtain walls
They call these walls "curtain walls" because they are like your curtains when they are closed--they cover up the wall, but they are definitely not holding up the roof! Since curtain walls don't have to be as strong, they are often made of glass.
Elevators
Can you imagine living or working on the 98th floor of a skyscraper and having to walk up and down STAIRS every day to get there? Thank goodness for the invention of elevators! Buildings just weren't as tall before them.
Look at the shapes of skyscrapers. Most of them are very rectangular, although some of them do step in a little bit as they get taller and taller. Notice all the squares for windows, which are especially noticeable at night when the lights are on inside. Some skyscrapers have a tower or spire on top. Many architects did this not only to make it look cool or special, but also to make the building reach a certain height without having to have more rooms on the inside. Lots of architects like to compete to see who can design the tallest skyscraper in the world.
In fact, today, when skyscrapers push the limits of height, they call them "Supertalls" (over 984 feet, 300 m) or "Megatalls" (over 1969 feet, 600 m).
This skyscraper is called Burj Khalifa, or Khalifa Tower. It is 829.8 meters tall! Definitely megatall. It is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was finished in 2010 and is the tallest building in the world right now. Notice how it is not as square on the outside, but more rounded. Most skyscrapers built today are this way. The tubular structure acts like a hollow cylinder to resist winds and earthquakes. |
The Project
Prep Time – 30 minutes ( includes making sample)
Prints – skyscraper 4 x 6 and 8x10 copies in Kinder file drawer
Materials
9x12 white construction paper, 1 per student
9x12 black construction paper, 1 per student
Strips of brightly colored paper, 4-5 per student (for cutting windows)
Squares of brightly colored paper, 4x4 inches, 2 per student (for cutting cars)
Glue sticks
White crayons to write their names on the back of the black paper
*try to use construction paper scraps in the scrap basket for strips and squares.
Teaching Lesson
Does anyone know what really tall buildings are called? That is right, Skyscrapers.
Where do we find Skyscrapers? In a city.
Who designs Skyscrapers? An architect. An architect is an artist who designs buildings for people to live and work in.
Let’s look at some pictures of Skyscrapers. What shapes do you see? What shapes are the windows?
Today we are going to create our own city with Skyscrapers!
Prints – skyscraper 4 x 6 and 8x10 copies in Kinder file drawer
Materials
9x12 white construction paper, 1 per student
9x12 black construction paper, 1 per student
Strips of brightly colored paper, 4-5 per student (for cutting windows)
Squares of brightly colored paper, 4x4 inches, 2 per student (for cutting cars)
Glue sticks
White crayons to write their names on the back of the black paper
*try to use construction paper scraps in the scrap basket for strips and squares.
Teaching Lesson
Does anyone know what really tall buildings are called? That is right, Skyscrapers.
Where do we find Skyscrapers? In a city.
Who designs Skyscrapers? An architect. An architect is an artist who designs buildings for people to live and work in.
Let’s look at some pictures of Skyscrapers. What shapes do you see? What shapes are the windows?
Today we are going to create our own city with Skyscrapers!
Art Lesson
Show students sample project and explain the steps.
Show students sample project and explain the steps.
- First you will all be given your white paper and you will cut out 4 skyscrapers (model cutting out 4 different skyscrapers). How many did I cut out? That is right, 4. Show me with your fingers how many you are supposed to cut out.
- When you have your 4 skyscrapers cut out you can take your 4 strips of colored paper and cut windows for each building. Glue them on with your glue stick. Do skyscrapers have 1 or 2 windows? No, they have lots of windows!
- When you have all your skyscrapers cut out and windows glued on, raise your hand and we will give you a piece of black paper. Put your name on the back using the white crayon. Why are we using white crayon for our name? That is correct, so we can see it!
- Glue your skyscrapers on your black paper, but leave room at the bottom for the street your cars will go on.
- Raise your hand when you are ready for cars. Check students skyscrapers and make sure they have all 4 and windows on each one. Go get 2 pieces of constructions paper off of the counter for your cars. (model cutting out 2 different cars for students).
- Have students glue down cars on road in front of skyscrapers. I had some students draw white dotted lines with the crayons for the road. Remind them to cut windows and circles for the wheels and glue them on the cars.