Larry Harnish, owner of Maduro on Main in Fortville, poses alongside Emmaline Poindexter and Kinsey Johnson, fourth-graders at Fortville Elemetnary School, who helped construct a gingerbread replica of his store.
FORTVILLE — Downtown Fortville never looked so sweet.
Before school let out for winter break this month, fourth-graders from Fortville Elementary School spent hours constructing the downtown businesses and other nearby landmarks out of gingerbread.
Haley Childers, the fourth-grade teacher who directed the endeavor, said the project taught the kids much more than just gingerbread building skills. Students also learned about Fortville’s development; how to locate features on a map; and the effect Fortville businesses have on the local economy.
Most importantly, the project taught them various elements of science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — skills.
Childers first introduced the gingerbread-making lesson to fourth-graders at the school in 2019 but skipped it last year due to COVID-19. This year, she added an extra special element — having kids tour the downtown streets and interact with business owners, who told them about their shops and why they chose to locate their businesses in Fortville.
Several Fortville businesses along Main and Broadway streets were recreated out of gingerbread by fourth-graders at Fortville Elementary School. The students interacted with local business owners for the project, which taught them not only people skills but also STEM skills — science, technology, engineering and math.
Fourth-graders at Fortville Elementary School constructed a gingerbread village representing the shops along Main Street in downtown Fortville, among other local landmarks.
Student groups were assigned individual businesses to visit, including Sunrise Bakery, Panda Chinese, Maduro on Main, Foxgardin Kitchen &Ale, ATA Blackbelt Academy and Seals Funeral Home.
“They were able to basically interview some of the owners of the businesses, and when they came back they wrote a research paper — a paragraph sharing a little description of what they had learned,” Childers said.
Vince Edwards, Fortville Elementary School principal, said such interactions help teach kids the personal skills necessary to succeed in the world. “A lot of times we talk about what children need to grow. So much of our time is focused on academic stuff, but this project is a really fantastic way that they get to work on those personal relations skills,” he said.
“Those soft skills also include giving attention to detail, and the planning and seeing through and adapting to problems that arise… learning to revise and move on,” he said.
Childers agrees that the project is a great way to combine both STEM skills and soft skills, not to mention some culinary art, into one big, fun project. Building a gingerbread village of your hometown is a great way to make math and science fun for everyone, she said.
The teacher incorporated math by having students calculate the perimeter of each real-life structure, and reduce that down to a gingerbread house-size model. Students then applied math skills to estimate the size and number of materials needed to reconstruct each building.
Childers incorporated science by enlisting the school’s STEM teachers to work with the students on small electrical circuits, which were used as miniature street lights to light up the display. “Some students got really creative and used the circuits to light up the buildings from within,” Childers said.
The 20-by-40-foot village was put on display within the school but was deconstructed before students left for winter break. The display was too fragile to transport to a public venue, so many local business owners who took part in the project stopped by the school to check out the students’ handiwork.
“It’s such a great way to get both the kids and the community engaged,” Edwards said.
Each of the school’s fourth-grade classes focused on a different part of town: Main Street (which was divided into two parts), Broadway Street and Memorial Park. One classroom focused on creating Fortville Elementary, Mt. Vernon Middle School and Mt. Vernon High School, including the district’s administration building, performing arts center, tennis courts and football field.
Within each classroom, the students were assigned to small groups, each of which focused on a different building within their designated area. Childers made sure to group students with others they may not be as familiar with, to help them focus on interpersonal skills both with their peers and adults.
“It’s really good for them to figure out how to work with the group and use all their ideas collectively. But then to see the end result is really cool for everyone,” she said.
Different colors of frosting were used to most closely resemble the exteriors of various buildings in town. The students also placed tiny signs on the front of each building identifying each one, like the Sunrise Bakery at the corner of Broadway and Main streets. Childers shrunk the size of the logos, to make them seem more authentic.
She hopes the project helps instill in the students a love of community. “Getting them to learn more about their community, and what’s downtown on Main Street, helps them understand how we can help and support our community in different ways,” she said.
