The students in Cheryl Martin’s Grey Elephants class at Pumpkin Patch Academy have been on a whirlwind tour via the “Polar Express” over the past couple of weeks.
They’ve stopped in various locations around the world on their imaginary tour, but their final destination was a complete surprise – until now.
Last week, the train pulled into its final destination for a fantastical visit to Candyland. A colorful welcome sign adorned the front window of the classroom, greeting families as they arrived for drop-off and revealing the mystery location to everyone who entered the classroom.
The Candyland set – which features life-sized characters from the popular children’s board game, rainbow-bright colors and delicious treats as accent pieces – was handmade by Martin’s father, Ed Bouvier, who also used his talents to create the set for the “Polar Express.” Each year, Bouvier conspires with Martin to create a new and exciting final stop for the students in her class, and this year’s stop didn’t disappoint.
Along with all the fun, lots of learning and skill-building has been mixed into this journey. Geography, counting, patterning, estimating, creative writing, using sight words and color words, listening, and role-playing all fit into the thematic unit.
“They’re learning by playing,” Martin said.
Throughout the upcoming days, the students all had the chance to participate in each of the learning activities that went along with the unit, each having a chance to immerse themselves in learning while they toured the famous game of Candyland.
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