Kaia Horton, 7, was frugal, coming in at $222, well under her teacher-imposed budget of $300 for her gingerbread house, although she admits she got a free chocolate snowman from her teacher, Nicole Pickett.
Jay Wendlend, 8, who says he’s “good at math,” came in right on budget at $300 for his gingerbread house, even paying extra for some optional supplies for his house, like the $37 he shelled out for cotton-candy puffs to serve as snow.
Mason Philpott, 8, even built two hot tubs for his house. The cost: $23 for M&Ms, $23 for Red Hots and $23 for Jolly Ranchers.
The idea for the day’s lesson: Learn a little about supply and demand; a little about engineering and building practices; and a little bit about art with the design work – all with some make-believe money, lots of candy, frosting and gingerbread cookies.
The lesson plan and the day’s activities are part of Sunnyside Elementary School’s STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts and math – program, which serves to bolster students’ skills in these areas, skills that will pay off for the students in about a decade when they’ll be entering the workforce or heading off to college.
A grant from STEAMedu.com helps Sunnyside bolster its STEAM program. The grant provides online learning and professional development for teachers and supplies, such as electric circuits for kids to build upon.
One big lesson for the day, Pickett said, was for students to realize that numbers “can be taken apart and then put back together: Mission accomplished with Mr. Wendlend.
Jay planned to use gumdrops for lights on his house and candy canes for a walkway. “I added it all. It came in at $300,” he said.
Pickett was pleased because the class hadn’t even gotten to three-digit addition.
“We talked a little about real life,” she said. “If you go to Home Depot with $300 for a project, you can’t overspend. Nothing comes for free. You have to work at it, but eventually, you figure it out.”
Another important lesson: Persistence pays off.
For Sunnyside Elementary Principal Patrick Hyatt, perseverance was an important lesson from the day’s exercise.
“We don’t want to raise quitters. Just because the wall falls doesn’t mean you give up. Try something different,” he said as 26 students busily designed their houses using frosting as mortar.
Kaia was going to make a home for Santa.
“He’s going to stand right in front of the house,” she said of her Santa, “just as soon as I get him out of the foil, ho, ho, ho.”
Kaia added that Santa was outside “because he’s looking at the stars.”
patrickarmijo@durangoherald.com
