Explore nature, science, engineering, the arts, and architecture at Taliesin West! Each lesson focuses on a new concept, and every activity takes inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, the Sonoran desert, and the wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site, Taliesin West.
Registration fees are per student. Each class will be taught outside, so please dress for the weather.
All classes meet at the ticket kiosk. A parent/guardian must accompany each student. Students and their families must stay with their Museum Educator during the lesson.
A tour of the historic area of Taliesin West (ie: the tour route) is NOT included in this program. To purchase tour tickets, please go to our visitors page.
Questions? Email education@franklloydwright.org
Designing with a Purpose
Students will learn basic architectural vocabulary and concepts. They will then work together to design, create, test, and redesign structures of their choice (a house, a shopping mall, or a skyscraper, etc.). The structure must be designed and built to fit into the landscape of the region of the United States they are assigned.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
All About Bridges
Students will use the engineering design cycle to design model bridges using K’nex pieces. Through building structural bridges, students will learn about load, span, designing for a purpose, and working in collaborative dynamics like engineers and architects. Students will also examine bridges from around the world.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Staying Warm in the Desert
Ages 9-11
Students will learn how both people and animals adapt to our sometimes chilly desert environment. During this class, we will explore how Taliesin Fellows tried (and sometimes failed) to keep warm in their desert shelters!
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Design a Holiday Puzzle Box
When Frank Lloyd Wright lived at Taliesin West with his students, they would create special gift boxes for him at Christmas. These gift boxes hid their treasures inside, but first, you had to unlock the puzzle! In this tradition, we will create our own holiday puzzle boxes.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Gone with the Wind…Resistance
Students will explore the power of the wind, learn about wind resistance, and create their own windmill.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Inspired by Nature: What is Organic Architecture?
Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs were all based on the principles of organic architecture. What is that? During this lesson, students will find out, and learn how the natural world helped inspire some of the most beautiful buildings on the planet!
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Water, Water Everywhere: Erosion and Evaporation
Students and educators will walk through the desert to discuss how water has shaped the geologic features around us.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Water Floats a Boat
Students will build mini boats and learn about concepts of water displacement. We will then have a contest to see whose boats holds the most weight!
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Designing From the Ground Up: Floorplans and Scale
An architect is nowhere with out their floorplan, but how do they know where to even begin? During this lesson, students will learn about the concept of scale, so they can successfully create their own floorplans.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Why is a Blue Print Blue?
A cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print. Engineers and architects used the process well into the 20th century as a simple and low-cost process to produce copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints. Students use desert botanicals to create patterns, expose their creation in the sun to see the cyanotype chemical reaction, and wash their final print in water.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Rainbow Rooms: The Color of Design
Students will explore the art at Taliesin West, including Japanese screens, Asian sculptures, and mid-century modern furniture! Then, based on color theory, students will sketch their own dream room based on the pieces they discovered.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
Sizzling Sustainable Solar Science
Students will learn about solar energy, and how the rays from the sun can melt a smore from 94 million miles away! During this lesson, students will have the opportunity to build a solar oven of their own.
$12 members, $15 nonmembers
Ages 6-8
Ages 9-11
