Second graders in Alison Loring’s class at Glen Head Elementary recently had a "Community Celebration" where each child became a member of their community. As part of the celebration, the students sang and acted in their own version of "Who are the People in Your Neighborhood." Additionally, they built a mini town in their classroom which they named, Candy Land, and shared reports with their families. The students also created a beautiful community bench.
Mrs. Loring explained to the parents in attendance that the students not only learned all about communities in their classroom but went out into the North Shore community to learn more about their own neighborhood. Additionally, they studied the following: Rules and Laws, Goods and Services, Needs and Wants, and Public and Private Places. In Candy Land, the students determined that “Our government will collect taxes. We will use the money to pay for our library, police station, post office, park and school.”
Like in a “real” community, the second graders also developed specific laws and rules of Candy Land which stated, “In Candy Land, you must obey all of our traffic lights and safety signs which include children at play, speed limits, hospital signs, stop signs, curvy roads and no parking!” They added, “All children in Candy Land must go to school, everyone must wear a seatbelt, and our police officers will help you with these laws!” Bravo for all of their hard work and creating important rules to live by!
