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5th Graders Participate in Building Model “Dream Houses” for Habitat for Humanity's Annual Build A House ... Build A Dream! Contest for Kids
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More than twenty fifth grade students, under the direction of their teacher, Christian Wareikis, have been designing houses for unveiling at the Franklin Institute on Saturday, March 26th in the fourth annual Habitat for Humanity's “Build A House ... Build A Dream!” contest. The local Delaware Valley Chapter of Habitat for Humanity describes the “Build A House…Build A Dream! Contest for Kids:” “Designed to raise awareness of Habitat for Humanity’s mission and work throughout the region, the contest challenges fifth grader students from Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, and Montgomery counties to build the model home of their dreams. Architects, designers, contractors, and builders will judge the contest entries. Last year, more than 450 fifth grade students brought their model homes to the Franklin Institute, with more expected this year.”
Using Punch! Super Home Suite software, the students learned from the ground up how to develop a program and then a concept and how to draw a plan and build a 3D model to scale. The students who participated in the project were very enthusiastic to share the entire process with local Delaware Valley Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors member, Vince Powers. They described thinking about what they wanted their dream home to have, then actually building it. The students used materials like foam core, household objects, and plywood in the creation of their models. Also, since they worked in pairs, they learned to work cooperatively on their designs, respecting each other’s differing visions. They started the design process by using Dunkin Munchkin containers, then learned the software, and encountered the difficulties of cutting out windows. They loved being able to see virtual models of their homes in the software program, and of course they loved incorporating all their wish list items—one model has a helicopter pad—into their designs.
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