Fact Book • Ages 5–8
🏠 Houses & Homes
Discover the amazing homes people live in around the world — from treehouses to igloos!
29mhomes in the UK
1m+types of homes worldwide
10,000 yrsoldest known home
6types explored
📚 Houses and Homes
Every person on Earth needs shelter — but homes come in an extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and materials, depending on where people live and what materials are available. From the brick terraced houses of a British town to the floating homes of Southeast Asia, each design solves the challenge of shelter in a different, clever way.
🏘️
Terraced House
- Rows of houses joined together on both sides
- Very common in British cities — built mainly 1850–1950
- Originally built for working-class families near factories
- Very energy efficient as shared walls retain heat
- Often has a small garden front and back
🧊
Igloo
- Built from blocks of compacted snow
- The dome shape means the roof cannot collapse inward
- Inside temperature can reach +16°C even when -50°C outside
- The entrance tunnel traps cold air outside
- Traditionally built by the Inuit people of the Arctic
🌊
Floating Home
- Built on pontoons or barges on rivers and lakes
- Popular in the Netherlands, Vietnam and Southeast Asia
- Over 2,500 people live on houseboats in Amsterdam
- Children travel to school by boat
- Some floating villages have their own schools and markets
🌳
Treehouse
- Built on platforms in the branches of trees
- Used for shelter, lookout points and ceremonies in some cultures
- The Korowai people of Papua New Guinea build treehouses up to 50m high
- Modern treehouses can include electricity and running water
- Trees used as a base can live for hundreds of years
⛺
Yurt / Ger
- Circular portable home used by nomadic peoples
- Traditional home of the Mongolian people for centuries
- Can be assembled in two hours
- Covered in layers of felt made from sheep wool
- A hole in the roof (toono) lets in light and lets out smoke
🏡
Detached House
- A house that stands alone, not joined to another
- Usually has a garden on all sides
- The most expensive type of home in the UK due to land cost
- Often has a driveway and garage
- Most common in suburban areas and the countryside
✨ Amazing Facts
🏛️ The oldest known house in the world is over 10,000 years old, found in Ain Ghazal, Jordan!
🧊 Inside an igloo can be 60°C warmer than the outside temperature — just from body heat!
🌿 Green roofs covered in plants are used in Scandinavia to insulate houses — and look beautiful!
🌊 In Bangladesh, over 10 million people live in floating homes during the annual monsoon floods.
🏗️ The average British house is built to last 100 years, but some Roman buildings are still standing after 2,000 years!
♻️ Some modern eco-homes are built from straw bales, which are incredibly well insulated and sustainable.
🤔 Houses and Homes Quiz
Click each answer to check it instantly!
Question 1 of 6
What makes an igloo stay warm inside? 🧊
- A fire is kept burning at all times
- The dome shape traps warm air, and the entrance tunnel keeps cold air out
- The Inuit use solar panels on top
- Special chemicals in the snow release heat
Question 2 of 6
What is a yurt's covering made from? ⛺
- Woven cotton fabric
- Waterproof plastic sheeting
- Layers of felt made from sheep wool
- Treated animal hides
Question 3 of 6
Why are terraced houses energy efficient? 🏘️
- They are always built facing south to catch sunlight
- Shared walls mean less heat escapes compared to detached homes
- They are smaller so need less heating
- They are always built near rivers for natural cooling
Question 4 of 6
How high can some Korowai treehouses be built? 🌳
- Up to 5 metres high
- Up to 15 metres high
- Up to 30 metres high
- Up to 50 metres high
Question 5 of 6
What is the oldest type of portable home in this fact book? ⛺
- The houseboat
- The igloo
- The yurt or ger
- The treehouse
Question 6 of 6
Why do floating homes suit places like Bangladesh? 🌊
- The water keeps the homes cooler in summer
- During monsoon floods, huge areas of land are covered by water, making floating homes practical
- Floating homes are the cheapest type to build
- They can be moved to wherever fishing is best
📚 Key Words
shelter
A place that protects people from the weather and provides safety. A home is a type of shelter.
nomadic
Moving from place to place rather than living permanently in one location. Nomadic peoples build portable homes like yurts.
insulation
Material that reduces the transfer of heat. Thick walls, wool and snow are all effective natural insulation.
pontoon
A flat floating platform used to support a structure on water. Floating homes rest on pontoons.
terraced
Houses built in a continuous row, sharing walls with the houses on each side.
detached
A building that stands alone, not connected to any other building.
sustainable
Using materials or methods that do not harm the environment and can be maintained long-term.
monsoon
A seasonal wind system that brings very heavy rain to parts of Asia and Africa.
📚 More to Explore