[Creative Treasure Box EP6] Build A Picture Book Block Wall! Recreate Your Favorite Picture Book Stories!

Hello everyone, I'm Teacher Sloth! In this series, Teacher Sloth will share some block creations, some may be complex mechanical designs, while others may be simple model creations, so that every time you click on an article, it's like opening a "Creative Treasure Box," always full of unexpected surprises!

Picture books play a vital role in nurturing children's reading habits. Through engaging illustrations and storytelling, they stimulate a child's senses—hearing, vision, and touch—helping them explore the world beyond their family. One of the unique strengths of picture books is their ability to convey meaning through images alone, making them accessible even without text.

Many beloved picture book stories are later adapted into movies or stage plays. For example, the animated film Shrekoriginated from the picture book of the same name.

Today, let’s use Gigo building blocks to build a story-themed wall featuring The Growth of a Caterpillar!

★ Assembly Steps

Base

We are going to make the most important part, the base, which requires the use of C-JUMBO BASE GRID and C-JUMBO BASE GRID CONNECTOR.

Put two C-JUMBO BASE GRID together and connect them together through the C-JUMBO BASE GRID CONNECTOR to make a 4x2 rectangle.

Sun

After completing the base, we will make the sun first. We use the A-18T GEAR WITH ADAPTER and the A-60mm CONNECTOR to make the sun, and use three yellow B-CUBE to make the sunlight.

The three yellow pillars made with B-CUBE can be placed slightly tilted to give the feeling of slanting sunlight!

Caterpillar

Now, let’s meet our protagonist—the caterpillar! To create its round body, we placed one A-CUBE between two A-HEMISPHERE to form a smooth and spherical shape.

We made three balls in total and connected them together using A-80mm CONNECTOR.

Then add white and red connectors as the caterpillar's feet and antennae respectively. The connectors can also help connect the caterpillar to the C-JUMBO BASE GRID.

Leaves

Caterpillars’ favorite food is leaves! Here we use 4 green A-4 HOLE ROD as leaves, and put brown pillar made with B-CUBE in the middle as the trunk.

The A-4 HOLE ROD can be tilted slightly to give it a leaf-like feel.

Hill

We used multiple dark brown B-CUBE to make strips of different lengths, and stacked them on the C-JUMBO BASE GRID in order from long to short to create the feeling of a small hill.

Fruit

Next, let’s create the fruits for our hungry caterpillar to eat—apples, pears, blueberries, strawberries, and oranges. Below are examples of how to build each one!

Once all five fruits are complete, arrange them on the C-JUMBO BASE GRID however you like!

Butterfly
After eating plenty, the caterpillar was finally ready to transform into a beautiful butterfly!

To capture the graceful curves of the butterfly’s antennae and wings, we use Gigo's innovative A-FLEXI-TUBE. These flexible tubes can be freely bent to different angles, allowing for dynamic shaping. By connecting two A-FLEXI-TUBE with the A-ROD CONNECTOR, we can create a delicate and realistic pair of butterfly wings.

★ Completed Picture

Assemble all the models, and the picture book-style building block wall, The Growth Process of a Caterpillar, is complete!

The story unfolds from left to right, depicting the caterpillar's journey as it eats its way through different foods before transforming into a beautiful butterfly at the end.

You can also attach parts to the back of the base for support, allowing the display to stand upright and appear more three-dimensional.

★ Scientific Principles

This project incorporates the principles of force balance and elasticity.

To ensure that larger models, such as the caterpillar and butterfly, remain upright, multiple round connectors are used as fulcrums and secured to the block wall. By maintaining equal torque on both sides of the fulcrum, the models stay balanced and stable, demonstrating the concept of force balance.

The A-FLEXI-TUBE can bend freely due to its elasticity—the ability of an object to deform under external force and return to its original shape. By leveraging this property, we can adjust the tube to different angles, shaping the butterfly’s curved antennae and wings.

★ Extended Creations

Beyond the caterpillar’s growth journey, building blocks can be used to create a variety of imaginative stories, such as Big and Small Chickens Go Shopping at the Supermarket or The Penguin Family Travels by Train. Here are some extended examples to inspire your creativity!

★ Postscript

Picture book stories come in many forms, covering topics such as body structure, number recognition, self-expression, natural sciences, world cultures, and animal introductions. These stories not only enhance children's cognitive abilities but also expand their understanding of the world beyond their own experiences.

As children assemble the topic block wall, they learn to recognize the characteristics of caterpillars, butterflies, and various fruits while gaining a deeper understanding of the caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly. Through hands-on creation, they also develop both fine and gross motor skills, making learning both engaging and interactive.

★ References:

Benefits of picture book stories for young children: https://www.worldreader.org/now/the-power-of-picture-books-benefits-and-why-theyre-important-for-early-education/

★ Curriculum Reference:

K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool.

MS-PS1-1: Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

K-PS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

K-2-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.