A Village Under Siege… or What I Did During My Spring Break
Spring Break.
Ok, it is only Spring Break for me, not for my children. I thought this would mean I would sleep in past seven and then drop them off at school. Hypothetically, I could have six or so hours to do laundry, clean house, work on the taxes, eat popcorn and watch movies.
Things might have gotten done, had I been able to drop the kids off at school. But once we got to school, I couldn't leave.
The basement of our school had been magically transformed to a kingdom during Europe's Dark Ages. The magic was in fact done by wonderful parents, staff members, and older students... angels, not faeries...
The stage at one end of the room was a king's chambers, there was a mountain range that had sprung up from the old carpet that was now a fertile valley, and to the north wall was the sea. The oceans were filled with fish and salt, the valley was ready to be tilled, and the mountains had metal to be extracted.
On Monday morning all students who were interested in playing were assembled into family groups, and marched down stairs in silence and single file to the underground kingdom, where their king was ready to hold court. There were informed of their peasant status, given plots of land to work and lots of cardboard and tape. With in a few hours the homes were constructed, and the kids began hard labor. Students spent hours cultivating the resources that were available in their area. They were rewarded for their hard work each time "Mother Nature" walked around the kingdom and delivered the cubes that represented meat, salt, wheat, metal, vegetables, wood and stone. Some commodities were traded with a representative of the king for money. When the families stored enough resources and cash, they bought their freedom.
In the last few days the kingdom was besieged by Vikings, attacked by a dragon and struck down by the Black Death. Today the kids staged a revolution and beheaded the monarchy.
The students were SO excited to participate each day. Students from age five to twelve were using math skills, problem solving skills, conflict management, public speaking, and their knowledge of democratic process to move from indentured servants to free people. The teachers created an amazing scenario where the kids were able to bring forth the best in themselves...and have an amazing adventure. So cool.
What a great week to be a free schooling parent!
Posted in DemEd in Real LifeTeaching on Mar 25, 2010 - 04:30 PM
Spring Break.Ok, it is only Spring Break for me, not for my children. I thought this would mean I would sleep in past seven and then drop them off at school. Hypothetically, I could have six or so hours to do laundry, clean house, work on the taxes, eat popcorn and watch movies.
Things might have gotten done, had I been able to drop the kids off at school. But once we got to school, I couldn't leave.
The basement of our school had been magically transformed to a kingdom during Europe's Dark Ages. The magic was in fact done by wonderful parents, staff members, and older students... angels, not faeries...
The stage at one end of the room was a king's chambers, there was a mountain range that had sprung up from the old carpet that was now a fertile valley, and to the north wall was the sea. The oceans were filled with fish and salt, the valley was ready to be tilled, and the mountains had metal to be extracted.
On Monday morning all students who were interested in playing were assembled into family groups, and marched down stairs in silence and single file to the underground kingdom, where their king was ready to hold court. There were informed of their peasant status, given plots of land to work and lots of cardboard and tape. With in a few hours the homes were constructed, and the kids began hard labor. Students spent hours cultivating the resources that were available in their area. They were rewarded for their hard work each time "Mother Nature" walked around the kingdom and delivered the cubes that represented meat, salt, wheat, metal, vegetables, wood and stone. Some commodities were traded with a representative of the king for money. When the families stored enough resources and cash, they bought their freedom.
In the last few days the kingdom was besieged by Vikings, attacked by a dragon and struck down by the Black Death. Today the kids staged a revolution and beheaded the monarchy.
The students were SO excited to participate each day. Students from age five to twelve were using math skills, problem solving skills, conflict management, public speaking, and their knowledge of democratic process to move from indentured servants to free people. The teachers created an amazing scenario where the kids were able to bring forth the best in themselves...and have an amazing adventure. So cool.
What a great week to be a free schooling parent!
Tags for this entry:
freedom,
play,
history,
problem solving,
culture,
hands-on learning,
role-playing
Melia Dicker
Mar 31, 2010 - 01:43 AM
Wow, reading this made me feel as if I were right there with you and the students! What a cool experience, to act out life in the Dark Ages. I’ll bet that those students not only had the time of their lives, but they will remember what they learned that day even when they’re grown-ups.