Thanks to South Country Educational Foundation grants and donations from local stores, Brookhaven Elementary School kindergartners recently had the opportunity to participate in community-themed play stations. The play stations aimed to create authentic experiences while supporting the development of written and oral language skills.

Through the grants and donations, the school acquired items to set up shops and businesses for students to play in. For example, Lowe’s, Starbucks and Jim's Deli donated materials such as floor samples, paint buckets, coffee cups and aprons to help boost real-life community experiences.

In the stations, students cut hair in the barbershop, took coffee, ice cream and pizza orders in the cafes and restaurants, shopped at the local market, had their pets get checkups at the vet, cooked dinner in the kitchen and worked on home repairs in the Lowe's centers. 

Students also engaged in class discussions about their experiences and used this experience to help support their writing in their writer's workshop. They rehearsed their stories that they created based on their play experiences, planned them out with pictures and then penned their stories.

Date Added: 2/4/2025