THE LANGUAGE OF STRUCTURES
The Language of Structures is a series of books created under the ‘Engineering Everyone – When they are young’ banner. The books aim to provide structural engineering language, which really is the language of physical science, in a simple form to everyone - particularly young children – who are more receptive to understanding concepts than we sometimes realise.
These books will invite questions and start adventures which may lead to all sorts of interesting things!
The first three books in the series are aimed at very young children – whenever they begin to show curiosity in their environment. The next few will be suitable for reception class and early primary school years.
The books can be read together, read to, or by the child and they can colour and draw - character images have been left in outline for colouring and there are additional pages for their own drawings. There’s potential for discovery activities out in the big world as well as at home. If you feel brave enough, encourage and help them make models of the examples illustrated in the book or their own examples; perhaps using their toys and common household items.
The books that follow are for children of primary school age or for anyone who is interested in understanding basic structural engineering terms.
It’s about cultivating curiosity and having fun!
Please view on Amazon for more details
The Language of Structures - Force
The Language of Structures - Tension
The Language of Structures - Compression
The Language of Structures – Action & Reaction
WHAT I HOPE FOR THE LANGUAGE OF STRUCTURES SERIES OF BOOKS
My aim is to make reading this book, by an adult to a child or by the child, a short, fun experience that tickles their imagination and sends them on a journey.
I encourage you to:-
😊 Allow questions, you don’t have to have all the answers….explore the answers together and follow your imagination – it doesn’t have to be strictly ‘correct’ science at this stage.
😊 Allow children to colour in the book - the character images have been left in outline for this - and to draw in it too; there are additional pages for this.
😊 Encourage children to carry the book with them on discovery activities, to spot examples of what is in the book out in the big world as well as at home.
😊 If you feel brave enough, encourage and help them make models of the examples illustrated in the book or their own examples; perhaps using their toys and common household items.
😊 Plan and do discovery activities with Health and Safety in mind.
The first three books of the series are aimed at young children – whenever they begin to show curiosity in their environment.
The content of the book is to be a stimulant; how much the child engages will depend on their age and receptivity. It’s fine for them to take what they want and leave the rest. They may engage more in the next reading and the next.
Where you go next depends on what the adult plans with the child – trips to identify and draw or making models or carrying out experiments to test the concepts.
I hope you enjoy the book series and the activities I hope they will inspire, as a group at school or as a family.
Chelvi Nava