Students conduct an experiment to determine how varying the composition of a construction material affects its strength. They make several adobe bricks with differing percentages of sand, soil, fibrous material and water. They test the...

The Zarma are the second-largest ethnic group in the Niger Republic, in West Africa, and they have close cultural affinities with the Songhay. Zarma villages are typically nucleated settlements made up of round mud or thatched dwellings...

In the following instructional activity young scholars sequence the steps involved in producing an object (tree to chair, mud to brick, etc.). They also learn that tools and objects are designed to perform functions or solve problems.

What was involved in building the towns, pyramids, and temples in ancient Egypt? Read about the planning that needed to be done, including building plans, material acquisition, and labor force.