Design and build your own ride or amusement park at home
Grace Peacock
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We’ve got a challenge for all those budding architects, designers and builders! While you’re at home with the kids looking for activities to do, have them tap into their imaginations and build the ride or amusement park of their dreams!
HOW TO DESIGN YOUR DREAM RIDE OR ROLLER COASTER
Look for ideas and inspiration: Visit our website to see the variety of rides and slides we’ve got at Canada’s Wonderland. Check out our Youtube page to see some of them in action! Which ones does your child like? Have them examine the shapes and structures used to build these real-life rides, so they can attempt to replicate them in their design.
Have your child choose a medium to work with: drawing, painting, building with LEGO, K’Nex, Magna-tiles etc. or using some common household materials:
- Marbles for the coaster cars
- Cardboard rolls
- Chenille sticks
- Elastics
- Popsicle sticks
- Painters or masking tape
- Plastic/paper cups, recycled containers
- Corks
- Straws
- Paper plates
- String
- Marshmallows and toothpicks
- Tissue boxes
- Tin foil
Consider a theme. Animals? (like Wilde Beast and The Bat) Space? (like Blast Off!) Aviation? (like Flight Deck) Mythical creatures (like Leviathan and Behemoth!)… the possibilities are endless, but choosing a theme often helps funnel creative energies more efficiently when starting a project like this from scratch.
Have fun! Bigger builds and the use of glue and scissors may require parental assistance, but it can be a family affair watching a child’s imagination come to life.
HOW TO DESIGN YOUR OWN AMUSEMENT PARK
Plan out the key features, asking your child to consider some of these questions:
- What kind of rides are there?
- Does it have a water park?
- What kind food would people eat? Are there restaurants?
- What’s the setting for the park? In the mountains, on the ocean, in a forest, out in space, etc?
- Who would go? Is this for grown-ups or just for kids?
- Are there fun characters to meet in this park?
- How do people get there? By car, train, boat or airplane? Maybe they need a place to park these modes of transportation.
- Is it a park that’s open in all seasons? Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter?
Kids can bring their amusement park to life in one of many ways, such as:
- Drawing it like a map, birds-eye-view on paper
- Use LEGO, building blocks, K’NEX, Magna-tiles or whatever materials you have on hand. Flatten some large cardboard and draw pathways for guests in between their imaginative rides.
WE’D LOVE TO SEE YOUR WORK!
Share your masterpieces on social and tag us! We’ll share some of the wonderful creations we see out there.
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