Activity best for children age 5 and up

At San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum we love learning about different cultures found all around the world. Throughout the month of February we will be exploring Thailand and its cultures as part of our Roots Series sponsored by the Nissan Foundation, County of San Diego, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Thailand has many rich and wonderful cultural treasures. Some  of these treasures are found in the art and architecture of buildings and sacred spaces called Wats. A wat is a temple and the word wat means enclosed space. This enclosed space is a sacred place to think about peace, family, and to ask for good fortune for the year. The temples in Thailand are magnificently decorated with tall spires, soaring roofs, and intricate, colorful designs in and on the outsides of the buildings. One famous temple is known as the White Temple as it is all white and has very ornate and dramatic designs. All of these design elements are meant to show that the temples are special places for many reasons. Are there any buildings in your neighborhood that inspire you?  What kind of architectural designs would you include if you could build your own  ornate building? Today we are going to make a 3 dimensional sculpture of a building inspired by the temples of Thailand.