Please help: Girl Scout program Part 2
The second badge workshop I will be doing is described:
“Learn about the drawings, blueprints or plans that are used to guide work on building projects. Have a professional engineer or other adult explain how blueprints are used to make repairs or to build a new project. Make your own building pland to redesign a room in your home.”
I have a much better idea about how to go about this one. I’ll have some sample prints (hopefully I’ll have a print of the building we will be in) and have them draw a print of a small room in that building.
But I’m open to suggestions.
Thanks.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Replies
I forgot ages. These girls will be fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.
Thanks.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Contact your local Habitat for Humanity office. The lead man on the site should be able to hook you up with a tour and overview of how plans, construction and the resulting house relate.
Some time could be spent relating the known hazards, CO, shock, fire, to the systems that serve to protect, circuit breakers, GFIs, smoke detectors and CO alarms. Some discussion could be arranged to show why smoke detectors, CO detectors and GFIs are located where they are.
As a group project they could lend a hand building the home. Even if it is only cleaning up, picking up nails and organizing the site trailer. Of course all should be provided a chance to hammer some nails, perhaps the temporary closures over doors and windows or other non-critical locations, and any who show a interest and minimal proficiency could be started on small jobs.
I know the slightly older Girl Scouts in this area try to go as a troop to a HH house and work a couple of Saturdays with only the lead carpenter and scout leaders on site. Sometimes this is made into a cookout lunch, overview and education session. If something actually gets done so much the better. The inevitable splinters and small cuts are great for first-aid practice so be sure to capitalize on this by having an ammo can full of supplies handy.
Do make sure that safety glasses are worn and power tools are tightly controlled.
I did that with boy scouts once. Just asking them to find the bathroom, kitchen, etc. kept them busy for a while.
Keep in mind that they've probably never seen prints before, and it will take some time for them to figure out what they're looking at.
I've done this talk with kindergartners, fourth graders and seventh graders emphasizing different things. The kids love seeing architect's toos - adjustable triangles, scale rulers, electric erasers, templates, rolls of trace. They are also very interested in how a drawing on a vellum turns into a blueprint. If I have time we measure the classroom and make a simple drawing on the spot. I tell them about drawing door swings and why that's important, and also something about the whole process. Collecting pictures for style and finish ideas. Finding an architect. Communicating a program. The many stages of drawing. The amout of trace that gets thrown out in the process. Choosing a contractor. The building department and code issues. What happens during construction etc.