Class 3s were introduced to a three-week house-building main lesson block at the end of this term. We were first introduced to stories about animals and how they build and use their homes. We then looked at different traditional homes throughout the world, in many different environments. We explored how houses are constructed and are lived in. Lastly, we were introduced to how a modern house is built, through a collaboration of many people with different skills and services.
Next the Class 3s were given the opportunity to build their own home from a variety of options of different, traditional, houses and other building structures. Each house was presented to the class, where they outlined their process of gathering the materials and of building their house. It was wonderful to see the quality and the variety of what was built. I could see the creative impulse and the innovative effort of each child in their house-building project.
A home provides shelter and protection, but it is also a place where we nurture ourselves, creating a safe place apart from the world. As the Class 3 child continues to move through the nine-year change and the experience of separation from the world, an inner need arises in them to build their own sanctuary. Creating a shelter allows this impulse to find an outer form.
Together, with the help and guidance from their parents, they built a bridge that crosses over from inspiration to individual expression. May their journey towards individual creative expression continue to blossom.
Daniel Raubenheimer, Class 3 teacher