Candy Village Unit

One of the aspects I love about our micro-school is that we can dive into special projects and stretch them out to sneak learning into them. While I’ve always loved building graham cracker “gingerbread houses” with classes, this was the first year I explored creating an entire unit around it.

Our learners started planning their creations the first day we returned from Thanksgiving break. Everyone started by choosing a piece of cardboard they could use to build on. They needed to measure it and then determine the perimeter and area (depending on their age). Then, on a separate piece of paper, they drew out their design - listing the geometric shapes they were going to include. Later, they transferred these drawings onto the property itself - measuring out exactly where each graham cracker house would go, using drafting tools and rulers to make sure they measured their space accurately. From there, they could begin planning what candy they wanted to use - and determine how many pieces of a particular candy they would need to fill in the area of a pond, driveway, field, or house. One of our oldest learners spent time tabulating everyone’s candy requests and providing me with the total list.

We spent two weeks on this work alone.

Finally, this last week we were able to begin the building process. If anyone has ever tried to build with graham crackers and royal icing and NOT use a school milk carton as a base, you may know how frustrating it can be. My family does this every year, and I can guarantee you that each of us usually ends up with a crumbling house. It’s so easy to break the graham crackers, have the icing not set up in time, or just not have your structure hold the weight of your plans.

Perhaps what became the most important part of our Candy Village unit was the work we put into the social-emotional learning component of it. We spent time learning about the different parts of the brain and how we can engage our amygdala and prefrontal cortex to best support our emotional regulation. We learned a hand model of the brain and how that can help us identify when our amygdala is in control and we may need to use strategies to re-engage our prefrontal cortex. Some learners made posters of the brain, while others investigated different strategies that may work for them.

When we were finally ready to build the learners had spent time talking through how they would use strategies when their houses fell apart.

And yes, there were crumpling houses but there were also learners using strategies. We had learners changing plans, taking breaks to take deep breaths, and learners helping one another regulate when they noticed a friend getting frustrated. One learner said, “You know, this is stressful, but I’m still OK. It’s fun and stressful.” That recognition was huge - yes, there are moments of stress, but we can work through them. We can re-engage, use strategies, and bring ourselves back together.

At the end of each day’s build, we made a list of what we used to stay regulated. Learners reflected that they worked slower, changed their plans, reminded themselves of the BIG goal, and took care of each other.

In the end, we had a magical candy village, learners who experienced the fun of building with candy, as well as the experience of engaging in a long-term plan to meet a goal. And stomach aches. There were some of those… 

Next week we are going to write stories about who lives on each candy property. We’ll reflect on the different perspectives of each imaginary family and how they can come together as a community.