Creating a Community

For this activity students create their very own community. As a group they will determine what they need in their community and what they want in their community. For example, they may think that a community needs a police station, a fire station, farms, houses, etc. Whereas movie theaters, stores, and restaurants may be listed as wants. It truly all depends on the students that are in the class. After they narrow all of that down the fun part begins; they get to actually construct their community out of recycled materials. In our class we used boxes, paper towel rolls, and even old Play Mobil toys. They will need to decide who will create what part of the community. Sometime during this project the students will be able to discuss what they want to name their community and even come up with a motto if they have time.

This activity does not only give the students the opportunity to get their creative juices flowing; it also gets them thinking about what people, places, and things make up a community. They will be drawing on information that they know from around their own community as well as other communities that they have heard or learned about.

Focuses:

decision making

problem solving

citizenship

construction

communication

wants and needs