Glad to Meet You, Newfane

Our Social Studies curriculum is Communities of the World but we need to start from home. After brainstorming a list of important community locations or buildings, we would board the bus to take us around the areas we could not walk to. We would take another day to walk to easily assessable locations. We could take pictures of inside and outside. These locations could include: the bank, grocery store, library, the Historical Society, the VanHorn Mansion, the Cobblestone Museum, the Burt Dam, the Olcott Harbor, Underground Railroad location, etc. Using Neighborhood Map Machine, we would locate each on a created map within that program. The children would then research each building or location. They would need to include the history of each. If it is a business, they would need to describe the service or product it provides, the date originated, etc. If it is of historical significance, they would need to tell the year built, by whom, and some of the history. Importing the pictures into the map would give the children the location. We would then build a book with each location pinpointed on a map. All researched material would be included. Each child would get a copy of the book and of their own work. Not only would this be a great community project, but parents would be involved to lend support.