Why is this school shaped like a cat?
Adriano A. Biondo/biondopictures.com
A school shaped like a cat
Picture a school. You’re probably imagining a brick building with a flagpole out front. Or maybe you’re thinking of a tall glass building in a busy city.
You’re probably not picturing windows shaped like eyes, a door shaped like a mouth, and a tail that’s also a slide! But that’s what some students in Germany think of. Why? Their school looks like a cat!
Excited About School
Exotica/Alamy Stock Photo
A fish office
The architects who made this building wanted kids to feel excited about going to school. (Architects are people who design the way buildings look.) But can a building’s appearance really affect the way we feel?
Absolutely! If a building is very tall or doesn’t have enough light, it can make us feel gloomy. But if a building is colorful or a fun shape, it can improve our mood.
Interesting Shapes
Courtesy Dog Bark Park Inn/dogbarkpark.com
A dog hotel
Other buildings have interesting shapes too. There’s an office shaped like a giant fish in India. It has gray fins, blue eyes, and windows that look like scales.
Another building, in Newark, Ohio, looks like a giant basket. That’s because it was the main office of a company that sells wooden baskets.
And if you travel to Cottonwood, Idaho, you can stay in a giant dog hotel. It’s shaped like an enormous beagle. The best part? Pets can stay there too!
Which building would you want to visit?
PARAGRAPH POWER
Imagine you’re an architect designing a new building. Write a short paragraph explaining what shape you will make the building and why. Our online skill builder will show you how!
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Explore another story about imaginative design with our story “I Invented My New Arm.” Students will meet Jordan Reeves, who was born with a limb difference and worked with a designer to create an amazing prosthetic arm that shoots glitter.
After admiring the modern cat-shaped school in this issue’s Mini Read, take a look at what schools were like in the past. The Grammar feature “Your School, 100 Years Ago” is filled with fascinating facts about school life from long ago and includes a photograph of a one-room schoolhouse!
Further explore the power of architecture to delight and amaze with our Fiction story “The Stars Below Me.” The main character develops an appreciation for her new home, New York City, while viewing its nighttime cityscape.
