Over the past few weeks, we have been constructing our own "town" in my social studies class. This activity allowed the entire class to make decisions about how our town would be laid out and what resources it would have. Together, we came up with a list of services and retailers that would have a place in our community and then we decorated boxes to represent the stores we had chosen. Once all of the boxes were designed, construction began.
Source: Author's own
We voted on where to place some of the stores and also where our industry should be located. This activity encouraged the entire class to work as a team.
Source: Emily Hess
Source: Author's own
Once our community was built, we sat down around our community and had a very in-depth discussion. We focused on problem-solving: what would happen if our factory polluted our water sources...what if a big-box store wanted to move in and purchase part of the farm? This activity gave our entire class a common bond. We became rather protective of our town and got upset when anyone outside of our class touched it.
This activity would be fun for a classroom because it provides a common foundation for kids to begin a school year with, encourages team-building, problem-solving, and (let's be real here) it was a blast to create!
Until Next Time,
Ms. K
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