First Graders Build a Town to Fundraise for Homeless

The Willow School’s first graders are building their own town on Willow’s campus as the culmination of their lessons on community. Willow’s Community in the Woods, hosted by first grade, will open on June 1. It serves not only as a celebration of the students’ learning, but also as a fundraiser for Homeless Solutions, Inc.

At Willow, first grade students learn about community through an examination of their classroom, school, and, finally, the town. Over the course of this school year, first graders take field trips into town to experience the neighborhood first-hand and interview important community workers. Students met Peapack-Gladstone Mayor William Muller and visited the Peapack and Gladstone Police Department. They learned about money at the Peapack-Gladstone Bank, cashiered and decorated cookies at The Fresh Market in Bedminster, and learned about the local library system. At the Public Works Department, the students not only learned about maintaining a town, they also helped the PWD out by laying mulch at a local park!

As first graders studied Peapack-Gladstone and neighboring communities, they asked, “What is a community? What are some of the roles and responsibilities of community members? What makes a community successful?”

First graders also visited Homeless Solutions, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Morristown that offers supportive housing to homeless and low-income families and individuals. The visit prompts students to discuss what responsibilities the members of a community assume to support those in need.

These visits are just the beginning. Students deepen their understanding of banking, food, retail and service businesses, laws, citizenship and government planning through a number of creative, collaborative projects, leading up to the annual Community in the Woods learning celebration.

At Community in the Woods on June 1, children will assume the roles of the community workers they’ve studied as they construct their own town on campus. Visitors to this town in the woods can buy arts and crafts, books, food, and beverages from first graders, and the funds raised are donated to Homeless Solutions. The Community is open to the public from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Register to attend at tinyurl.com/communitywoods.

Homeless Solutions is helping to break the cycle of homelessness by providing shelter and services for homeless men, women, and families. For more information, visit homelesssolutions.org.

The Willow School is a small, independent school for preschool to eighth grade that helps children grow into self-motivated, well-informed, upstanding scholars who think for themselves and take responsibility for their actions in our world. Find out more at willowschool.org.