Dr. Donna's Review

Bob the Builder and his friends are back on-site to learn about two types of very big buildings: skyscrapers and parking garages. Bob the Builder’s signature combination of animation and live-action footage will be sure to capture the interest of all children in the audience. The opportunity to see familiar characters from the Bob the Builder program on the big screen will be especially enjoyable for younger children. Both younger and older children will enjoy seeing film footage from real construction sites and footage of real kids demonstrating building and drawing activities that they can do at home.

THEMES & OTHER THINGS

Throughout Bob the Builder On-Site: Skyscrapers and Parking Garages, Bob and his friends explore the tools and steps involved in building skyscrapers and parking garages. There are two main themes in the movie. The first is to introduce children to the people and tools involved in building a skyscraper. The second theme is to introduce children to the purpose of parking garages and how they are built.

In the development of each theme, children have the opportunity to see many examples of heavy-duty construction equipment and their use in the building process. Children also are introduced to the different kinds of work that take place on construction sites and the equipment and rules that keep builders safe while they work.

Several segments featuring real children building skyscrapers and parking garages with blocks, boxes, and art supplies provide examples of creative play based on the themes of the movie.

TALKING POINTS

Bob the Builder On-Site: Skyscrapers and Parking Garages provides a great opportunity to help kids build several important skills:

• Reinforce understanding and memory by asking children to remember the three steps required to build a skyscraper: 1. Lay the foundation, 2. Build the many floors of the skyscraper, and 3. Build elevators for people to move up and down within the building.
  

• Reinforce understanding and memory by asking children to remember the three steps required to build a parking garage: 1. Put down the foundation, 2. Build many levels, and 3. Build ramps so vehicles can move between the levels.

• Talk about the importance of each step in construction and, in particular, why the steps should be performed in the correct order.
  

• Talk about the functions of skyscrapers. If your child has ever been in a skyscraper building (for example, a hospital, a parent’s office building, or a landmark such as the Empire State Building), encourage him/her to describe the experience.

• Similarly, encourage kids to talk about places they visit that have parking garages and the rules that are enforced in parking garages (for example, driving in one direction only, waiting for the gate to rise, or paying a fee for parking.)
  

• Talk to your child about the importance of working together as part of a team. This is illustrated by both Bob and his friends and by the workers in the live action footage. Ask your child about his/her own experiences working with others as a team.

• Draw your child’s attention to the fact that both Bob and his real-life construction counterparts make use of computers in their daily work.

ACTIVITY IDEAS

Encourage your child to draw pictures of his/her favorite pieces of construction equipment. Label the picture with the proper name of the tool and encourage your child to give the piece of equipment a friendly name like Bob’s friends have in the movie.

Encourage children to illustrate the three steps to building a skyscraper or parking garage. Label each step and post the picture for family and friends to see.

Help children find pictures of construction equipment, skyscrapers, and garages in books, magazines, and online. Copy or print the pictures and use them to create a collage or illustration of a construction scene.

Provide blocks, boxes, planks, and art supplies for children to use in building and drawing activities like those demonstrated by the children in the movie.

Visit construction sites and encourage children to identify pieces of equipment and talk about what is happening.

Help your kids to build vocabulary by reviewing and discussing these words from the movie:

Digger
Caterpillar tracks
Concrete mixer
Crane
Tower Crane
Foundation
Steamroller
Grader
Ramp

BOOK SUGGESTIONS

A Year at a Construction Site
By Nicholas Harris

Skyscraper
By Susan E. Goodman, with photographs by Michael Doolittle

The Construction Alphabet Book
By Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster

Hard Hat Area
By Susan L. Roth