The Commons

An Uncommon Experience

The Commons takes visitors on a journey to Guatemala, Mozambique, and the United States to explore geography, language, and designing homes for the local setting worldwide.

How does what your house is made of change depending on where you live? If you lived somewhere else, would your house be on the ground or in the air? Would your kitchen be inside or outside? The Commons helps visitors understand the ways that geography affects your home and how you use it.

In The Commons you'll also discover the important role of organizations such as Habitat for Humanity International in building homes for people in need worldwide. Habitat uses volunteers from across the globe to build houses designed for the local setting.

For example, Habitat houses in the United States are typically built using wood frame construction while houses in Africa are built with fired clay bricks. Houses in Latin America often are built with concrete block, and houses in the Pacific are often built with wood frames and stand on stilts.

Building materials aren't the only thing that changes from place to place. People in different countries also use their houses in different ways. Meals are cooked outdoors in many African countries, so Habitat places the kitchen area outside the house.

The Commons helps you Imagine a House from your very own to that of someone across the world. You will see and hear what a home means around the globe, exploring the Geography and Language Station to learn about travel to different countries and pressing the buttons to hear building-related words such as 'house' and 'roof' in six different languages.

Learn more about these topics through the books below. Many of these books are at the Brookings Public Library.

Ages 0-3 Round is a Mooncake, Roseanne Thong & Grace Lin* Ages 3-6 DK Readers. 1, beginning to read, "Homes Around the World", Max Moore Living in my World Series, "Homes Around the World", Adam R. Schaefer & Marcia S. Freeman* Wonderful Houses Around the World, Yoshio Komatsu, & Akira Nishiyama* Imagine a House: A Journey to Fascinating Houses Around the World, Angela Gustafson Ages 6-8 Crabapple Series, "Homes Around the World", Bobbi Kalman* Children Just Like Me, Anabel Kindersley & Barnabas Kindersley DK Readers. 1, Beginning to Read, "Homes Around the World", Max Moore DK Readers. 1, Beginning to Read, "Animals at Home", David Lock* My House Has Stars, Megan McDonald If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States, David Smith & Shelagh Armstrong If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s People, David Smith & Shelagh Armstrong       Ages 9-12 Yesterday & Today, "Homes", Joanne Mattern Time for Kids Almanac 2010, Time for Kids Magazine*  What the World Eats, Peter Menzel & Faith D’Aluisio DK Readers. 1, Beginning to Read, "Homes Around the World", Max Moore DK Readers. 1, Beginning to Read, "Animals at Home", David Lock* My House Has Stars, Megan McDonald If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States, David Smith & Shelagh Armstrong If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s People, David Smith & Shelagh Armstrong

*At the time of writing, these books were not found at the Brookings Library.