If you are turning into Walmart, you might notice some neon painted tires and logs poised in various positions in the field by the Pagosa Peak charter school. On any given day they may be spread out or stacked to make a tower.
These bright additions to the field are part of a project designed and constructed by Pagosa Peak Open School’s first grade class.
“This was a really fun and cyclical project,” explains first-grade teacher Kelle Bruno. “We first did a study of tools and how tools help make work easier. I did Zoom interviews with parents from the classroom and they showed us the ‘tools of their trades’. We then experienced the habits of character: collaboration, perseverance, initiative, and respect; through challenges where the students had to build something as a group or create a shape using a jump rope. We read many beautiful children’s books where the characters in the books created things, while dealing with the struggles and successes of engineering.
“With their new knowledge, the students decided they wanted to create a new play area outside. We researched DIY play areas online and decided to make (1) a pretend fire-pit, (2) a marble run with pool noodles, (3) a tire fort, (4) a sandbox, and (5) chalkboard murals to draw on. We used mostly found or donated materials to keep the costs under $150. Huge thanks to Ace Hardware for donating all of the paint! To show our appreciation we made them a ‘Thank You’ poster and then the next day our class was given thank you letters from all of the second and third graders… they were excited and grateful to use the new play space.”
Pagosa Peak Open School teaches students by means of Project-based learning which focuses on the students’ discovery as a means of driving lessons. Mrs. Bruno’s class took their knowledge and applied it to make a tangible expression of what they had learned.
“This was a student-driven project,” Mrs. Bruno points out. “The students identified problems, brainstormed ideas, tried out their own solutions, and then evaluated the outcomes. They learned how to work together, they now appreciate the play area more because they made it themselves, and they are all very proud to have created something the rest of the school can enjoy!”
Pagosa Peak Open School is an intentionally small and intimate tuition-free public school, chartered through the Archuleta School District and governed by an independent, volunteer board of directors.
We opened our doors in September 2017 as a tuition-free public school, open to all Archuleta County families. The school operates year-round to better accommodate our focus on outdoor education and gardening/horticulture.
Alison Beach is Communications/Grants Manager for Pagosa Peak Open School, Archuleta County’s ‘Project-Based Learning’ charter school.