Communities activity

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Home : 2002 : September : 21

Communities activity
By Dana, too

I have used an activity on communities in my first grade classroom for the past couple of years that has worked very well. I have each student bring a shoe box, and we create a community inside. The students save their
milk cartons for a few days, we rinse them out well and let them dry overnight before the construction begins. The students create roadways out of black construction paper, road signs out of popsicle sticks, etc. to glue on the bottom of the shoe boxes. The next step is buildings for the community. I have some reproducable building facades (houses, stores, school, church, etc.) that the

children decorate, cut out, and glue onto their milk cartons. Then the "buildings" are glued into the shoe boxes. This really could go on forever...you could have them add community helpers, trees, parks, etc. The kids love it and it seems to really help them "gel" the idea of a community in their minds.
I also read "Town Mouse, Country Mouse" by Jan Brett, and contrast city communities with rural communities.
Have fun and good luck!