Here at the Kennedy-Longfellow School, the Junior Kindergarten class created an awesome igloo. The project came about because some students weren't able to name and identify the picture of an igloo that represented the letter "i" on our class ABC chart. To make the understanding of what an igloo actually is concrete in our students' minds we decided to create a "real life" igloo in our class.
Our JK students started collecting milk cartons. After a few weeks, realized we needed help from our community. So we decided to reach out to the entire school, and then quickly the word spread across the City of Cambridge, to families and friends, as well as, from local stores in our neighborhood. As we collected the milk cartons our students put their "engineer hats" on as we began the process of preparing, planning, and building our classroom igloo. Our architects participated in many of the processes that included washing, counting, bagging, and gluing on levels of the igloo.
The final igloo project ended up using 707 recyclable milk cartons. It was a true STEAM experience as this learning incorporated Math, Literacy, Science, Art, Social Studies, Social Networking, and Recycling. We truly felt supported by our local community and felt that this made a strong home to school connection as the classroom buzzed with activity. Additionally, participation within our school amongst the different grade levels built stronger ties with older students and the excitement rang throughout the halls each time a new layer was put on! When the igloo was completed every classroom had the opportunity to come in, read a book, and enjoy a snack inside the igloo.