Here we are with an updated post to my construction center. As of this writing I just finished my 6th year doing TAB and here is the first time I posted about my new construction center.
Every year based on what happened the year before I make some sort of change in my classroom in the various centers.
The construction has proven over and over to be my most popular center. The kids spend months working on their constructions and their results are truly awesome.
As many art teachers who do TAB and follow the facebook group Teaching for Artistic Behavior in the construction center we tend to do what was started by Julie Toole, called the attachment test.
This is to have the children learn to create constructions without using any glue.
In order to facilitate that this is my anchor chart showing different ways to attach without glue.
The 2 charts below are to show which items can be used to attach with and the ASK chart are things they cannot take without permission. I have a box of those items (which change yearly). If I didn't do that then there would be no limit as to how many of each item the kids would take.
This hot glue gun rules chart was just created for this year.
Last year I had many burns from the hot glue guns (nothing serious) and the administration was threatening that I would not be able to use the hot glue guns. I first tried silicone finger protectors but, they would burn themselves on parts of the hand that weren't protected.
As a result I bought safety gloves. There were many kids that just didn't bother with the gloves and I told them that if they didn't care to get burned then there wasn't much I could do. (these were the older kids)
When I give them the attachment test most of the things they construct are very basic like this one below.
This one however, was quite impressive as it was done completely without glue or tape.
The kids have been collecting things from their homes to use in their constructions and I just wish I could post every one of their amazing constructions.
When I did my first TAB construction post it was a new school and the school only went up to 5th grade. I also noticed that I was making holes in their cardboard for them at the time.
In the past few years they have been using an awl to make holes. In my classroom are stools that they sit on and I only let them make hole if the cardboard is put on a stool and the awl goes through the cardboard through a hole in the stool.
It's now an elementary which goes up to 8th grade. I however, until have only had 1-6 grades.
Below are some awesome constructions that were created by my 6th graders that I just had to share.
This one is a library. Not the books on the shelves.
This one is an art studio including easels and condiment bottles full of paint.
Here is another things I wanted to share with you. One year I took a whole bunch of materials including these pieces of Styrofoam I had and I told them too make mini constructions just in that one class. Here are some results.
