The NBA focus on education is in full swing with our traveling Teamwork & Timbers program. It is an education program where youth erect a quarter-scale timber-frame model barn. We have two models: one is based on a Mid-Western barn in Illinois built around 1842 and the other on the Dutch barn, an early barn type that is predominantly found in the Hudson River Valley, but was also perpetuated by Dutch immigrants and their American descendants elsewhere in the country. These barn models routinely travel to elementary and middle school classrooms to demonstrate historic construction techniques employed in many American barns.
The NBA owes a great debt of gratitude to Russ and Lou Ann Mawby from Michigan for their generous support of this program.
NBA volunteers and member organizations aid students in an exercise of teamwork as the children “raise” the barn models. Working in groups, the youth are exposed to math and science while building this 130-piece, 1100-pound timber frame. Along the way they learned about types of wood, history of rural structures, parts of a barn, and most importantly why team work is so important…. one person can’t raise a barn. Unknowingly, they employed their math, science, engineering skills to raise the frame with great success. It’s basically a life-size, 3-D puzzle that teaches students (both young & old) about how barns were made, touching upon both sciences and humanities!
Educators have found value in the program due to the duality of the program touching upon history and science, but most importantly, they appreciated the teamwork and leadership skills developed during the program. For the youth, it is just plain fun while employing what they are learning in the classroom to use.
So far the Teamwork & Timbers program has been in the Midwest and the East Coast of the United States. While the program has been focused on youth, adults can gain value out of it as well. An event schedule of the program and the model barn’s locations, please see our Events Calendar.