Laura Laxton - The Budding Builder

Published by Gryphon House, Inc. PO Box 10, Lewisville, NC 27023 800.638.0928; 877.638.7576 (fax) Visit us on the web at www.gryphonhouse.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or technical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to locate copyright and permission information. Cover illustration courtesy of Hannah Minney for iStock Photography.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The budding builder / edited by Gryphon House ; illustrations by Kathi Dery. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-87659-381-3 1. 2. 2.

BuildingJuvenile literature. 3. Creative activities and seat workJuvenile literature. I. Dery, K. II. II.

Gryphon House (Firm) NA2555.B83 2012 720.28dc23 2011049309 Bulk Purchase Gryphon House books are available for special premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising use. Special editions or book excerpts also can be created to specifications. For details, contact the Director of Marketing at Gryphon House. Disclaimer Gryphon House, Inc. cannot be held responsible for damage, mishap, or injury incurred during the use of or because of activities in this book. Appropriate and reasonable caution and adult supervision of children involved in activities and corresponding to the age and capability of each child involved, is recommended at all times.

Do not leave children unattended at any time. Observe safety and caution at all times.

They find inspiration all around them and then fashion their ideas into reality using wood, concrete, stone, mud, and more. Help your child find ideas and inspiration in this book, and use these activities as starting points to create whatever he can imagine. Help him realize that he, too, can make his ideas take shape and become real. The process of building helps your child develop many skills, including planning, estimating, and counting. She will look at commonplace materials and the world around her in new ways. She will feel the thrill of accomplishment that comes with completing a project.

Your child will enjoy doing many of the activities independently, but the ideas in this book provide wonderful opportunities to create something with your child. Enjoy the process, and be amazed at what you can createtogether.

Carefully Laid Plans

Create your own blueprints, and then use them any day to re-create your building plans! What Youll Need assorted blocks blue pen, crayon, or marker clear contact paper empty cereal box markers poster board or thick paper What to Do Use your blocks to build a structure on top of the poster board or thick paper. With your blue pen or crayon, trace each block to create a pattern of the first floor of your building. This is a blueprint. (You may need adult help with the contact paper.) Make as many blueprints as you want to, and store them in an empty cereal box.
Hint: Cover the box with construction paper, and label it My Construction Plans or My Building Blueprints. Next time you are wondering what to do, pull out some blueprints, and try to create the structures. Next time you are wondering what to do, pull out some blueprints, and try to create the structures.

For an even greater challenge, use two blueprints together to create one structure. Real builders have to follow patterns, too. Ask an adult to show you a real building blueprint, if possible. Different parts of the blueprint show different workers (plumbers, electricians, and so on) what to do. Books to Enjoy Building a House
by Byron Barton Hillel Builds a House
by Shoshana Lepon A House for Wally and Me
by Gene Stelten The House that Max Built
by Susanna Hill The Little House
by Virginia Lee Burton Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton New Kid on the Block
by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Make a record of your best block buildings. Cut out the paper block shapes. Create a building using the blocks. Re-create your work by gluing cutouts of the blocks that match the first layer of your building onto a piece of paper, taking care to maintain the same shapes and placement of the blocks. (You may need an adults help or guidance for this step.) Repeat this process on a new piece of paper for the second layer of blocks in your structure. Continue with a new sheet of paper for each layer of the building. Continue with a new sheet of paper for each layer of the building.

Label the pages with first floor, second floor, and so on. Name your creation, and make a cover for the blueprint book. Staple all the pages together. If you have enough blocks, try to re-create the building using only the blueprint book, and compare the structure to the one you built in step 3. Books to Enjoy The Lot at the End of My Block