Animal Dream Home Architecture
Part 1:
Get ready to unleash your creativity and dive into the exciting world where design meets math and engineering! In this challenge, you’ll be the architect, the interior designer, and the construction manager for your animal’s very own dream home.
Meet Your Animal Client (Design Brief!):
- Grab the stuffed animal you designed a prosthetic for.
- Think about your animal. What kind of animal is it? What does it love to do? Does it have any special needs because of its prosthetic (e.g., a prosthetic leg, trunk, ear, etc.)?
- Imagine its ideal life. Where would it sleep? Where would it play? What would it eat?
Sketch Your Animal’s Dream Home Floor Plan (Math & Empathy!):
- On a piece of paper, sketch out a simple floor plan for your animal’s dream home.
- How will you adapt the home for its prosthetic?
- If it has a prosthetic leg, maybe it needs ramps instead of stairs, or wider doorways.
- If it has a prosthetic trunk, maybe it needs extra high ceilings or a special feeding station.
- If it has a prosthetic ear, maybe it needs a very quiet room or special soundproofing.
- Label each area (e.g., Sleeping Nook, Play Zone, Feeding Station, Therapy Area for its prosthetic).
- Estimate the length and width of each area in “animal-sized” feet (e.g., “Sleeping Nook: 2 feet x 3 feet”). Write these dimensions next to each area.
Part 2:
Calculate the Cost of “Creature Comforts” Flooring (Research & Calculation!):
- Let’s imagine we’re getting special flooring for your animal’s home.
- Choose ONE type of flooring that would be perfect for your animal (e.g., soft plush carpet for a sensitive paw, waterproof vinyl for a messy eater, smooth tile for easy movement).
- Time to be a detective! Use a computer or a phone to quickly search online for the price of similar human flooring, imagining it’s for your animal.
- Search for something like: “cost of [your chosen flooring type] per square foot” (e.g., “cost of soft carpet per square foot”).
- Write down the price you find. (Example: “Soft carpet: $4.00 per square foot”).
- Pick ONE area from your floor plan that you want to put this special flooring in.
- Calculate the area of that space. Remember: Area = Length Width.
- Example: If your sleeping nook is 2 feet x 3 feet, the area is 2 x 3 = 6 square feet.
- Now, calculate the total cost to floor that area!
- Total Cost = Area of Space Price Per Square Foot
- Example: If your sleeping nook is 6 sq ft and soft carpet is $4/sq ft, the cost is 6 x $4 = $24.
- Write down your calculations and the total cost for that area.
Part 3:
Build a 3D Model of One Special Area (Engineering & Adaptation!):
- Pick ONE area from your floor plan that is especially important for your animal, particularly how it uses its prosthetic. Maybe it’s the “Therapy Play Zone” or the “Easy-Access Feeding Station.”
- On a piece of graph paper, draw the floor of this area to scale.
- Important Scale: Each square on your graph paper will represent 6 inches of your animal’s actual home area.
- Example: If your feeding station is 3 feet long (36 inches), you would draw this side using 6 squares (36 inches / 6 inches per square = 6 squares).
- Once you’ve drawn the floor, gather your cardboard and supplies. You’ll use these to build a model of that one special area.
- Cut out cardboard pieces for the walls and the floor of your area. Use the dimensions you drew on your graph paper as a guide for how big to cut your cardboard pieces.
- Tape or glue them together to create a 3D model of your chosen area.
- Crucially, incorporate the adaptations for your animal’s prosthetic! Add cardboard ramps, wider doorways, special feeding mechanisms, or anything else that makes it perfect for your animal.
- Get creative! Add small details with markers, scraps of paper, or anything else you find. What kind of mini-furniture would be in there?
When You’re Done:
We’ll share our amazing animal dream homes and models! This is a chance to show off how you used your understanding of prosthetics and design to make life better for your animal friend. Be ready to explain the special features you included for your animal’s prosthetic!
Remember: There’s no right or wrong answer, just your brilliant solutions! Have fun designing and building!
