Beyond inspiring early interest in building and engineering, the different programs are praised for using the built environment as a classroom. Children also learn critical and creative thinking, problem solving, abstract reasoning, applied math and teamwork.

Hands-on Museums

Across the country, museums big and small are building curiosity for construction careers with building-zone exhibits where children can experiment with tools, materials and building methods. At the Children's Museum in Denver, for example, children are supplied with screwdrivers, safety glasses, clamps and saws to design and build one-of-a-kind creations out of recycled materials. Others, like the Randall Museum in San Francisco, offer classes in building arts for children of all ages.

The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., has multiple exhibits for young builders and engineers. Among its offerings are two-week summer camps in engineering, designing and city building. Campers, 8 to 10 years old, hear from professionals and then plan, create and build everything from furniture and buildings to public parks and monuments. Additionally, the museum hosts semester-long programs where middle and high school students work alongside industry professionals to design and construct projects of their own conception.

"Most camps cover the arts or natural sciences, but few address building and construction," says Sally Otis, the museum's family programs manager. "The hope is that these programs will cultivate an understanding of building careers. We hope a camper might think, 'This is really fun, I want to do this when I grow up.'"

In collaboration with AGC, the museum also hosts the annual Big Build, a hands-on family festival of tools, trucks and building arts. There, young amateur builders can work side-by-side with a variety of industry professionals—from plumbers and ironworkers to landscape architects and woodworkers. Activities range from building a miniature green roof and carving stone to building a brick wall and constructing a log cabin.

As part of its Go Build Alabama campaign, the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute partners with contractors and community organizations to expose students to construction careers. Events include the If I Had A Hammer program with McWane Science Center in Birmingham. For the first part of the year, fifth-grade students at participating schools follow specialized lessons that teach the importance of fractions and other applied math skills in construction and then they take a field trip to the McWane Center to apply the skills to building a house.

Dozer Days

Industry groups are trying to lighten their approach by bringing earth-moving and road-construction equipment to career days at elementary schools. Setting the national model for young recruiting is the annual Dozer Day event in Washington state, where hard-hat-wearing kids can climb on and operate actual dump trucks, dozers, excavators and other heavy equipment with operators by their side. In partnership with the Oregon-Columbia Chapter of AGC, the Northwest Utility Contractors Association and the Southwest Washington Contractors Association, the Nutter Family Foundation held its 10th annual Dozer Day in May. Truckloads of sand, pipe and tires transformed the Clark County Fairgrounds into a massive construction playland, which attracted 20,000-plus people over two days.

Local construction companies donate the use of the equipment and materials, and operators volunteer their time to operate the equipment. Families pay a small entrance fee to put their kids in the driver's seat. Construction-themed activities teach about sustainability, industry opportunities and safety. Proceeds from the events are donated to local children's programs.