Create a plan for a neighborhood walking trail or other public facility. Improve recreational opportunities for people and habitats for animals in your community.

• 1.

  Work with a small group of classmates to design a recreational area in your community—either real or imaginary. Think about what facilities it might it include: Walking trail? Fish pond? Graffiti wall? Sunflower patch to attract birds? Rock wall? Boat launch? Stage? Ask classmates, family members, and others in your community to make suggestions.

• 2.

  Sketch your ideas with Crayola Twistables® Crayons. Determine how much space your trail will need. Recommend where it could be installed. Then prepare a replica of your plan.

• 3.

  Start with a flat base of Crayola Model Magic®. Model Magic fresh from the pack sticks to itself. Here are some suggestions for details. Use yellow Model Magic form sunflowers. Roll tiny terra cotta pieces into balls and press on for seeds. Add green coils for stems. Roll out rows of soil. Plant tiny Model Magic tomatoes, lettuce, and corn. Decorate a graffiti wall with thin rolls of Model Magic. Press blue modeling compound into a lake shape. Form an oval fish, attach a tail, and decorate. Roll a thin white piece to form a fishing line and make a pole.

• 4.

  Label areas with paper signs. Attach signs to toothpicks with Crayola School Glue. Compare and contrast your group’s plan with others. Consider presenting the most feasible plan to decision makers in your community.

Standards

• Children identify local needs for recreational spaces by interviewing diverse classmates, families, and community members.
• Students work in small groups to consider space needs and a possible place for installation. They sketch, make a model of their planned area, and label their replicas.
• Students compare and contrast their plans to select one for presentation to decision makers for action.

Adaptations

• Ask local recreation experts to discuss ideas with the class. What is the planning process for this type of facility? Who is responsible?
• Write an article about the need for your facility and submit it to the local paper.
• Draw a life-size trail design on a safe, large paved area with Crayola Sidewalk Chalk.
• Assessment: Evaluate how thoroughly children researched the need for recreational spaces. Did they apply what they learned in their model? Is the plan realistic? How well did students work together? Was the choice for a plan to present well reasoned?