While your community may not have an Eiffel Tower or a Hoover Dam, it is sure to have many structures with interesting stories. Local Wonders is a fun way for kids to discover the relevance of civil engineering to their daily lives. Over a two- to four-week period, kids work with an engineer to select and investigate an interesting local structure. After collecting answers to their questions about the structure, the kids write up their Local Wonder and submit it to the BUILDING BIG Web site (pbs.org/buildingbig).
1. Choose your Local Wonder.
Any structure that your group finds significant because of its appearance, uniqueness, or historical or social impact can be a Local Wonder. Consider local bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers or other buildings, domes, dams, and other constructions. Have the kids brainstorm a list, take a bus tour around town for ideas, or collect some photographs to stimulate discussion.
After doing the activity (paper bridge) and talking about structures and foundations, 5th and 6th graders at the Watertown, Massachusetts Boys & Girls Club brainstormed a list of interesting structures in their town: one girl's 10-story apartment building; an elementary school with a recent addition; a new parking garage; and more. The group voted and agreed on St. Patrick's, an elaborate church across the street from their clubhouse.
2. Identify questions to guide the investigation.
Have the kids generate a list of questions about the Local Wonder. If they have trouble brainstorming, suggest a few of the following questions to spark ideas:
Engineering focus:
- When was it built? How long did it take?
- Who built it? How many people did it take?
- What is it made of? Why did the builders choose that material?
- Why is it shaped the way it is?
- What holds it up/keeps it from falling down?
- How was it built? Were there any problems during construction? How were they solved?
Social/environmental impact focus:
- Why was it built? How did the builders decide where to build it?
- How much did it cost to build? Where did the money come from?
- What meaning does the structure have in the community?
- What did the area look like before it was built? How did it change the area around it?
- Has it had any unexpected effects on the community?
The group brainstormed a list of 12 questions, including "How did they decide where to build it?"; Why did they use arches?"; "What is the meaning of the stained glass?"; and "What's underneath the building?"
3. Investigate the Local Wonder.
You may want to begin with some hands-on activities that explore basic engineering principles such as forces, compression, tension, shape and strength, and torsion. As a group, design a research plan to investigate the Local Wonder. Your plan might include
- touring the structure (be sure to take a photo or make some drawings for your Web site submittal);
- researching the structure at a library, historical society, or newspaper;
- interviewing engineers, architects, or contractors who worked on the structure;
- visiting the municipal planning office, engineer, building inspector, or public works department;
- interviewing long-time community residents about their memories and feelings about the structure; and
- surveying community members about their current opinions on the structure.
At the library, we found a book about Watertown's history that told the story of when and why St. Patrick's was built. The Historical Society had some photographs of what the church looked like at different times in its history. We visited the Watertown Building Inspector's office and got the building plans and copies of the permits for its renovations. Then we took a tour of the building and asked questions. Afterwards, we used all the information we had to make a timeline about the building's history.
4. Tell us about it.
Once your group completes the investigation, go online to pbs.org/buildingbig to submit your Local Wonder. Selected projects will be published on the site. Look at our example to see the categories your writeup should include.
Plus, you can submit kids' good-quality photograph or original drawing(s). Drawings must be in black felt-tip marker or ink on 8.5- by 11-inch white, unlined paper. Encourage kids to draw the structure from different perspectives (looking directly at it, looking down on or up at it, imagining what the inside looks like). See the instructions on the BUILDING BIG Web site for printing a form to send in with your photos or drawings.
Name of structure: St. Patrick's Church
Location: Watertown, Massachusetts
Name of group submitting report: Watertown Boys & Girls Club
Approximate date structure completed: 1901
Approximate size: 100-foot tower
Why we chose this Local Wonder:
It's interesting looking. We wanted to know more about it, like why the builders used arches and what it is made of. It's also near our clubhouse and someone in our group goes there.
What's important about our Local Wonder:
People go to services there. It was built after a Catholic church in Waltham burned down and the people needed a new church. Since most of the people lived in Watertown, they decided to build the new church there.
Things we learned about our Local Wonder:
It is designed in the Romanesque style. The arches hold up the roof and make a big open space inside. Also, the big space echoes so that you wouldn't need a microphone. The stained glass lets in light and was donated by church members (some of the windows have their names on them).
Fun facts about our Local Wonder:
We estimated that there are 432 little stained glass windows and 240 stairs. We think there are so many stairs because when they first built it, they didn't have elevators, and people wouldn't want to climb really big stairs.
