Finding the perfect Christmas gift for a budding Architect might seem like a challenge, but look no further! From drawing to construction, these thoughtful gifts inspire creativity and design to help make your Christmas special for young dreamers.
Books
1 - Drawing Inspiration Books
Drawing is an essential skill for an architect. It is a fun activity, and it is also a learnt skill, so budding young architects should not be afraid of putting pen to paper. Remember - the first rule of drawing is - There's no such thing as a bad drawing.
Books and sketch books that encourage kids to draw are ideal. There are lots of options available and one of our favourites is 'My Year in Small Drawings' by Matilda Tristram. We like it because it is guided drawing, with small exercises to take away the self-consciousness kids often feel about drawing. Before long they have a body of work they can be proud of and can feel confident about their drawing abilities.
In addition to drawing, understanding colour, light and shade is a useful skill to develop. Architecture Colouring Books such as ones by Miguel Bolivar feature famous buildings and cities for kids to add colour and shade, and bring to life.
For kids who like books describing drawing techniques, here's a couple of good ones:
'Framed Perspective (Vol. 1): Technical Drawing for Visual Storytelling' by Marcos Mateu-Mestre is a great introduction to perspective art, to help young Architects feel comfortable with free-hand perspective drawing.
Another favourite is 'How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments From Your Imagination' by Scott Robertson and Thomas Bertling. This book is great for learning to understand three dimensional curved geometry through the study of cars, aeroplanes and space craft - great fun and the book is accompanied by a series of learning videos.
2 - Paper Engineering Books
Paper is a very powerful medium. In addition drawing, paper is great for making models and structures. Paul Jackson is one of out favourite authors on paper engineering and his latest book ‘How to Think and Design in the Third Dimension’ is inspirational. We use Paul Jackson’s books regularly in our workshops to help kids understand space, form and design in 3D.
This book requires a certain amount of setting up and cutting, but another of his books ‘Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form’ mainly focuses on paper folding, so kids can dive straight in with sheets of A4 paper or origami paper.
3 - Fun Story Books
For kids who love story books, there's ‘Iggy Peck, Architect’ by Andrea Beaty which is a fun and inspiring story about a young architect.
And there's also ‘Young Frank, Architect’ by Frank Viva is a playful book about a budding architect learning from his grandfather.
In addition to the books above, do visit the children's collection of books at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA's) online bookshop. Their collection for children have some very inspiring titles. The RIBA has bookshops in London and Belfast. If you live close, I recommend a visit with your young designers, to see what inspires them.
Architectural Materials
4 - Sketch Books
A sketch book is a must for a budding Architect and there are lots of options to choose from. Large sketch books are great for working at home, in a studio or in school where large expressive drawings can be created. Small sketch books A6 size are great to keep with you wherever you go.
Choose one that fits in the pocket and your young Architect can draw when they are out and about. Wiro binding allows the pages remain flat and the book can fold back on itself, which can help make sketching easier.
Here's a fun little sketch book. This triangular dotted grid guides the user to draw in isometric 3D.
It's worth practicing with, especially with reference with the book 'How to Draw: 3D Isometric Stuff'.
5 - Architectural Pencils
For any inspired young Architect a Rotring mechanical pencil is a must! The silver is the classic option, but the black does look slick. The 0.7mm size option if our favourite because thicker lines help develop pencil control, and these pencils work best with softer 2B or 4B lead, allowing greater versatility and variation in line and shading.
Another iconic Architectural pencil is the bullet pencil, or thick lead pencil.
This thick-lead mechanical pencil is small enough to slip in your pocket to take anywhere, where it can be used to capture exciting concepts and big ideas!
For colouring pencils our favourites are Derwent Coloursoft because they are just so - soft. They are very forgiving, easy to apply, and blend really well.
6 - 3D Printing Pens
A very different type of pen are 3D Pens. They take a little practice but once you have the knack, they are like holding a 3D pinter in your hand. They allow the user to draw structures in three dimensions. Instead of drawing in the air, draw on a sheet of paper, flat on a table. Then build up parts that can he bonded together with the pen, to create your projects in 3D.
Building Blocks, STEAM Kits and Puzzles
7 - Building Blocks
For pre-school and young kids there’s a good range of building blocks to choose from. They help young minds understand geometry, how objects work in 3D, and how they perform under gravity. Stacking, creating, testing and tumbling blocks is all part of the learning process. Master Architect Frank Lloyd Wright credited wooden blocks as having a significant influence on his Architectural development. Here are a few suggestions:
Froebel’s gifts were the original building blocks, developed by Friedrich Froebel and can be bought through the Froebel Network.
Here are some alternatives too:
Building blocks from Amazon and Ikea allow kids to construct, test and reconstruct.
Kapla Planks and Keva Contraptions offer more structured experimentation with wooden building blocks and are perfect for encouraging creativity and structural experimentation.
For kids aged about 5-7 years (KS1), these magnetic building sets allow more experimentation with geometric designs and structures: Connetix tiles and Picasso Tiles.
For older kids (and adults) there’s always Lego Architecture. These sets let kids recreate famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, or the Taj Mahal, combining play with architectural education.
8 - STEM and STEAM kits
Architectural Engineering Kits from brands like Thames & Kosmos allow kids to design and build various architectural structures while learning some principles of physics and engineering.
Bridge Building Kits such as the set from Engino lets kids learn about structures and weight distribution by building and testing bridges.
9 - Architectural Puzzles and Models
3D jigsaw puzzles of iconic buildings by Ravensburger, such as the Big Ben and the Sydney Opera House allow kids to create models of some of the worlds greatest buildings, in 3D.
10 Interactive Experiences
Minecraft: Architecture Packs. If your kids are into gaming, Minecraft is a fantastic way to digitally design and explore architectural concepts.
In addition, apps like ‘Toca Builders’ or ‘SimCity BuildIt’ for younger or tech-savvy kids allows them to explore building design digitally.
11 - Recycling Christmas! - Bonus Recommendation
Christmas brings a lot of cardboard and packing materials. Cardboard is a great material to experiment with, so don’t throw it away. Instead, be creative and build with it! These kits below are easy to work with and very quickly young architects can construct with card to make make a variety of structures, including dens, costumes and creatures. Similar kits are available from MakeDo and Kiddo Craft.
That's a selection of our best recommendations. We hope you find it useful. Please drop us a comment with any of your own recommendations - We's love to hear about them. And if you have any questions or a particular gift you are looking to find, drop us a line at genius@architecturekids.co.uk.
Merry Christmas!
From Architecture Kids
Comments