Magical Creature Houses
Essential Question: How are homes designed to fit our needs?
connects to ELA, Environmental Science, Social Studies,
Cultural Awareness, Engineering and Problem Solving
artworks to discuss
Connects to Social Justice Standards
connects to National Core Art Standards
flexible materials and delivery
In “Magical Creature Houses,” students will dive into the imaginative task of designing and building homes for the Phantasians, a magical community affected by climate change.
This project emphasizes the significance of empathy and inclusivity, challenging students to consider and accommodate the unique cultural and physical needs of others. By incorporating elements that resonate with the Phantasians’ way of life, students will apply design and problem-solving skills in a meaningful context. The project culminates in the construction of a Phantasian home using recycled materials, reinforcing the values of sustainability and creativity while fostering a hands-on understanding of how diverse needs can be met through thoughtful design
In this integrated project pack, we explore the question, “How are homes designed to fit our needs?” through four key ideas:
- Definitions of “Home” differ depending on cultural backgrounds, traditions, as well as physical needs.
- There are interesting and innovative ways to reuse and re-purpose materials to combat excessive waste.
- Adaptions can support surviving and thriving in an environment.
- Personally significant artifacts can make a house feel like a home.
Each key idea includes a learning segment where students build knowledge and deepen their understanding of a topic area.
A second segment features artworks that support learning and deepen students’ understanding of the diverse ways the idea can be approached.
And finally, each key idea also includes an art project that connects everything together and encourages students to do so in a way that is personally and culturally relevant to them.
“My fair is very shy so I added in two defense features. Number one: camouflage. My fairy will probably live in the wilderness. So I made the entire house green from door to escape hatch. Number two: Payback. I made egg cannons so if anyone attacked the house and it wasn’t destroyed my fairy could fire eggs! And I also made a telescope to make sure she knows when someone or something is coming. I also made a green stool. Also I made a window for her to enter and it is very small because my fairy is only the size of a beetle which is very small. And I made another window that she can enter through since she is the size of the beetle. So four entrances, or maybe three. She also has a huge garden enough to make a fairy-sized trampoline and a fairy-sized bouncy house.”
-Fielding, 7