The Game of Village

The Land Before Time

The students spent the afternoon re-creating their world.  They broke into crews to set up all the areas we would need for the next month:  wood shop, store, peep "loft", glue gun table, information center, bank and town hall.  It was humbling to see the care and thought they gave each area.  Usually, Simon and I set up everything as best we can with the time we have.  Seeing the attention to detail (the fabric area is arranged by shade) makes one realize the power of giving ownership to kids.

Perhaps the most important development was the creation of our lake.  Kelly Scheuerman and a crew of very eager student/moles dug out a lake on our land grant.  The lake spans across a corner of the 48'x36' plot at the far end of the field.  It has an island in the middle and a mountain (complete with caves) on its shores.  Now all it needs is its plastic liner, rocks and sand (we're seeking a donation...), and water.  Watch for more information on lake filling -- we'll be looking for extra hoses or buckets.

As educators, part of our job is to structure these "open" experiences in a way that ensures certain learning or issues will arrise.  The lake introduces inequality in our society.  Who gets to live near the lake?  Is their land worth more?  By providing only a foot passage around the lake to the corner land on its far side.  Who will control that access?

Maybe the most important question is:  What shall we name the lake?  Simon has suggested Lake Peep-in.  Pretty good, but perhaps you can come up with something better.  Maybe you want to vote for Simon's name.  Click on "comment" to add your two cents.

And, click on the right to subscribe to this blog's feed.  That way, you won't miss a single exciting development once we begin tomorrow.

2007 - Year of the Power Tools

One of the joys (and terrors) of Village is not knowing exactly what will happen.  The supply list is vast and variable.  One provisions for opportunity, gathering things that might become interesting...and might not.  I never know what students will come up with.  I often shop at American Science and Surplus , buying various doo dads that catch my fancy.  I once bought a load of clock springs which languished in the Village store.  As one student said, "Yeah, I bought one because it looked cool...never figured out what to do with it, though."  Other things, like matress foam, become an instant hit.  Go figure.

This year I think there are a couple of fun additions to the store and wood shop -- we'll have a large supply of motors ($.35 a piece from the surplus site), a solar cel, water pumps, and...power tools.  My folks found two Tonka "Real Power Toolshops" I bought when I was in highschool.  They promise they are "designed to cut wood, not skin" and given that they're powered by 4 D cels, I'm hoping that's true.  They do a nice job on soft balsa wood, though.

If you have real power tools at home, consider giving us a hand cutting wood orders.  The students mark all of the wood -- you just pick it up from school, cut it and return the pieces.  It helps the houses get underway much more quickly.

And We're Off

On May 2 we will begin Village by wrapping our peeps and bringing them into existance.  Rumors abound -- will there be a king?  can the movie project get funding?  have the fourth graders really been convinced that counterfeiting is a bad idea?  We're eyeing several promising land grants and are even playing with the idea creating a lake on one of them.  We'll use this blog to share the peep news of the day, what the students are learning and the experience we are having as educators.  For an idea of what might be in store, check out The Republic of Peeps, a website created by The Village Project to share the work of past villages.  Gus (Michelle's Peep) has some of his Fish Tale Publishing books for "sale" there.