Under One Roof: Architecture Styles Around the World

Why Roofs Reflect More Than Just Shelter

At first glance, a roof is just something over your head. But dig deeper, and it becomes clear that the way people build homes—especially their rooftops—says a lot about their history, geography, climate, and even beliefs. From the domes of desert villages to the peaked roofs of snowy Japan, architecture reveals how humans solve similar problems in diverse ways.

This edition of World Culture Explorers introduces young learners to global housing through hands-on building experiments that fuse cultural insight with structural thinking.

Why This Matters: Homes as Cultural Clues

The shape of a roof can tell you:

• What weather the region experiences (snow, rain, sun, wind)
• What materials are available (bamboo, clay, stone, grass)
• How communities live (nomadic, coastal, high-altitude)

Understanding this helps children connect engineering to geography and empathy to culture.

Engineering Meets Culture

Activity 1: Build & Compare 3 Global Roof Types

Objective: Construct and compare roof models from different cultures.

Materials:

• Straws, toothpicks, cardboard, tape, paper
• Optional: sugar cubes, clay, foam sheets
• Labels or small flags

Structures to Model:

1. Yurt (Mongolia) – Dome roof with radial beams
2. High-Stilt House (Southeast Asia) – Pitched roof with space below
3. Wattle & Daub House (Europe/Africa) – Sloped roof with packed walls

Steps:

1. Research or show photos of each home
2. Build the roof frames and secure to walls
3. Test with wind (fan) or rain (spray bottle)

What to Observe:

• Which roof sheds water best?
• Which is most wind-resistant?
• Which was easiest to build?

Activity 2: Roof Shape Challenge with Sugar Cubes

Objective: Explore how shape affects strength using edible architecture.

Materials:

• Sugar cubes or mini marshmallows
• Icing or peanut butter (as glue)
• Paper cup to press weight

Steps:

1. Build 2 roofs: triangle and flat
2. Press a cup with equal weight on top
3. See which collapses first

What to Observe:

• Which roof held its shape?
• Why do snow-prone places use pitched roofs?
• How do builders balance strength and weight?

Quick Swaps

Short on time or space?

• Cultural Roof Puzzle: Print and cut images of famous roofs (e.g. igloo, thatched hut, Japanese temple) for matching by continent.
• Paper + Straw Challenge: Use just a single sheet of paper and 6 straws to build a roof that holds weight.

These are great for STEM stations or classroom culture corners.

Extend the Learning

Go beyond the surface:

• Take a virtual tour of global houses on YouTube or Google Earth
• Sketch your dream roof based on a real country
• Compare emergency housing vs traditional housing

Recommended reads:

• Homes Around the World by Max Moore
• If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche

Design That Holds Up Across Cultures

Roofs may look different, but they serve the same purpose: to protect, to define, and to reflect. By building and testing homes from around the world, children gain perspective on how climate, creativity, and culture shape the places we live.

Explore more culture-meets-science content at kids-activities.net and download hands-on resources for curious learners. Tried this activity at home or in class? Share your roof models or sugar cube builds with us on social media using ！