Building a neighborhood

During the first week back from Winter Break, the Dubonim children were eager to greet each other and share their experiences with the class. There was much discussion about playing at home and seeing the surprise snow shower! Some children explained that they saw it snowing from the window while they were inside their homes. Following Morning Meeting, we decided to create the scene where they observed the snow shower or a setting where they wanted it to snow

As some children were drawing their homes, the discussion turned toward having play dates. “Well, everybody can come to my house!” exclaimed one child. The teacher suggested that the class is like having one big play date. “It’s not really because it’s not at a house”, explained another child.

We decided to build small model homes to create a neighborhood. The children used wooden cubes and loose parts to create their homes. Two children who were constructing next to each other decided to connect their homes. Others wanted to be connected as well. One child suggested building roads. “Yeah, then we can all go to each other’s houses.”

The materials we had gathered wasn’t quite ample enough to connect all the homes. So, some children decided that the space in between would be water and that you would need a boat to travel to your friend’s house. Most of the homes now have a car parked beside them and a docked boat!

HOUSE NUMBERS: "How are we going to know who's house is who's?" One of the children said, "Houses have numbers. I know because I see the number on my house." We read a book about numbers and observed that homes have numbers on them. Some children knew the number of their real homes. We decided to label the homes by their correct street address.

JEWISH HOMES: While the children were making their chanukiot and learning about Chanukah before the Winter Break, we talked about the importance of lighting the candles by the front window in their homes. They were very proud to be bringing home a real chanukiah that they made in class and could light at home! The teacher asked what other Jewish objects are in your home? Together, we created a web as we brainstormed about what makes a home a Jewish home!

Now that the model homes are complete, byways and roads included, the discussion has turned to maps. Stay tuned for updates on this amazing project...