Building Success: Block Kids Event Was a Hit!

Our Block Kids event was a huge success! Over 60 kids participated in the competition, showcasing their creativity and problem-solving skills in construction. A special thank you to our incredible sponsors and the trade partners who generously donated their time and materials to make the Trade Fair possible. Your support helped inspire the next generation of builders, and we couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you to Our Sponsors!

JE Dunn
Turner Construction
HWITT - Heartland Women in the Trades​

NICE - National Institute for Construction Excellence
Burns & McDonnald
The Builders Association
​Brinkman Construction

Thank you Our Trades Partners for making our Trade Fair possible!

Carpenters
​Painters​
Cement Masons

Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Operative Plasterers'

More About Block Kids

BLOCK KIDS was created in 1990 with the objective of engaging elementary school children in creative thinking and reasoning skills used by people in the design and construction professions in addition to introducing design and construction as possible career paths.
 
Students in grades 1-6 are given a toolkit of 90 interlocking blocks, one piece of string, one piece of aluminum foil, and one piece of construction paper. They are given 45 minutes to create a “mini-model” of a “commercial” structure of their own imagination – schools, recycling centers, and space stations have all been created by past participants. The creative process is then followed by a brief consultation with a local industry volunteer (aka “Building Inspector”), who talks to the student about his/her project and the process of thinking and making. In these conversations, students are judged on their oral presentation, clarity of purpose, etc.
 
Awards are given for each age division and an overall winner is selected to advance to regional competition. A national winner is then selected from regional competitions. It’s not about winning because every “contractor” is a winner just by participating and will receive a “goodie bag” and a certificate of participation.

Before the building competition the children are invited to participate in a hands-on trades fair where they will be able to "work" alongside carpenters, bricklayers, painters and other industry trades.

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