STEAM projects inspired by the Olmsted Office for you at home!
-
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Article 1: STEAM at Fairsted- Space Slime
To make outdoor spaces (landscapes) interesting for visitors, the Olmsteds mixed plants, structures, water, rocks, and other items so that there would be many kinds of colors and textures to experience, just like there are in nature. At Fairsted In the early 1900s, the Olmsteds designed landscapes for two observatories. An observatory has tools such as telescopes that help you see the colors and textures of outer space. Read more
-
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Article 2: STEAM at Fairsted- Blue Printing
Create your own sun print, inspired by the blueprint technology used in the Olmsted office. Copies were essential at the Olmsted office. Clients, park superintendents, ground crews, etc. all needed to see what was going on. Instead of asking their draftsmen to draw multiple plans, the Olmsteds embraced the latest technology- blueprints. Read more
-
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Article 3: STEAM at Fairsted- Bridge Building
Build a model bridge, inspired by the landscape design models built in the Olmsted office! When planning a design, models were frequently used by the Olmsted firm. In fact, there was an entire space dedicated to building models- the barn behind the main building at the Olmsted firm. Read more
-
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Article 4: STEAM at Fairsted- Watercolor
Create a watercolor landscape, inspired by the work of the Olmsted firm's draftsmen, who created watercolor paintings to show clients what the completed landscape would look like. The Olmsted firm’s draftsmen were responsible for bringing the ideas of the landscape designs to life! Sometimes they created watercolor paintings to show what the completed landscape would look like to show to their clients. Read more
-
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Article 5: STEAM at Fairsted- Planting
What would parks be without plants? The Olmsteds relied on horticulturalists (plant experts) to advise them about which plants would give the look, feel, and texture they wanted park visitors to experience. Read more