Neighborhoods

If you've had the opportunity to visit Tucker Room over the past couple weeks, you will have seen the ongoing "neighborhood" project work that is primarily taking place in our construction area. 

The creation of this Tucker Room Neighborhood was inspired by our expansive interest in home building that has occurred over the past few months. After spending weeks building different rooms for the connected dream house, constructing paper houses, and creating our beautiful clay houses, all of these homes were combined into our former "Shelly Area", now renamed "Mini Town". 

Shelly area is kind of like a neighborhood now. - Lily
Neighborhoods are a mini town. - Hugh
It’s a town, that’s mini. - Cate
"Mini Town" is like lots of houses together, so it looks like a neighborhood. - Saul 

What is a neighborhood?

Remy: It's where all your neighbors are. Nextdoor neighbors, far away neighbors. And very far away neighbors. A couple miles away. One time I ran two miles on my tricycle. 
Wilder: Where a lot of your friends are. It’s where all of your friends are. It’s like a tiny city. 
Finlay: It’s like kind of a road, a straight road that is only one way. Like Cate lives in a neighborhood. One way only.
Frannie: (A neighborhood is) Where you live.
Luke: A neighborhood is like when there’s one house. It's like half a city. 

​When originally brainstorming what should be included in the Tucker Room neighborhood, children shared some of the following ideas about things they might want to add to their neighborhood design.
Many of these ideas, in addition to others, have been created and you can find them represented throughout the neighborhood. 

Houses and Buildings
Sidewalks
Roads
Parks and Gardens
Schools
A subway
A library
Houses
A playground 
A grocery store
Trees
Lampposts 
"Numbers on your house" (Address)
A zoo
A hotel 

​As the Tucker Room Neighborhood continues to expand and grow, so does the children's investment in learning more about neighborhoods and researching this interest together. 

​EXPLORING OUR SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOOD
- ​GEORGETOWN - 

Yesterday, we ventured out into our own school neighborhood with an intention of finding different places, objects, and landmarks that we find interesting and/or important in our community.
​Specifically, in the Georgetown neighborhood. 

​While exploring the neighborhood, children documented their findings using iPods to take photographs while keeping track of their "mission" using the neighborhood checklists they created beforehand. 

While exploring the neighborhood, we didn't find everything on our list (yet), but we did navigate our way to Volta Park where we spent some time playing together! 

Why is it important to have a park in your neighborhood?

Wilder: So you can play. 
Luke: And slide.
Finlay: So you don’t get bored.
Wilder: So you can slide, so you can fall, so you can climb.
Luke: So you get scrapes.
Remy: So you can learn how to do the monkey bars. 
Finlay: You know how to do the monkey bars!

Who are playgrounds and parks for?
Remy: For children.
Wilder: And they can be for grownups. If they want.
Finlay: But they probably don’t.
Ines: Why not?
Wilder: Grownups sometimes like to play.
Finlay: Grownups don’t get bored.
Ines: I really like parks and sometimes I go to the playground in my neighborhood.

​Ines: If you go to a park, are you there by yourself? Who else is at the park?
Hugh: People that you play with.
Wilder: A bunch of other kids you can play with. Sometimes I see Daniel a lot.
Remy: Sometimes I see Lucas at Chestnut Hill.
Wilder: And in KW they went to a field trip to a park, to Volta. And I didn’t have KW and I went to Volta and I saw everyone there!
Luke: Remember when I was there and you saw me?
Ines: It sounds like a park is a place where you can meet a lot of people.

The Potomac River

We should see the Potomac! - Remy 

Although we didn't make it to the Potomac River during this weeks walk, we do intend to continue to explore our neighborhood to locate additional points of interest in our community! 
Perhaps next time we will make it to the river. 

Anticipating a walk to the river in the near future, Luke, Michael, and Saul volunteered to create maps to support us in navigating our way to Key Bridge where the whole class agrees is a great place to see and cross the Potomac River. 

Saul's map to Key Bridge/Potomac River (Steps 1-5)

Luke's map to Key Bridge/Potomac River

Michael's map to Key Bridge/Potomac River (Steps 1-5)