Materials
Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield
Safety goggles
Thick work gloves
Scraps of lumber
Wood saw, nails, and hammers for the older group
Wood glue for the younger group
Sandpaper
Paint and paintbrushes
Markers
Magazines
Scissors
Instructions
1. Read Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield and then talk with the children about
neighborhoods. What are they? Who lives in a neighborhood?
2. Ask the children if they would like to build a miniature neighborhood of their own to play with
in the classroom.
3. Allow each child to select a piece of lumber from the scraps. As they do, talk about the shape of
the wood and what kind of neighborhood building it reminds them of. Remember that neighborhoods
are made up of more than just private homes. There are grocery stores, department
stores, toy stores, libraries, museums, hospitals, police and fire departments, and so much more.
Let children decide what neighborhood building their piece of lumber will represent.
4. The older children can use the wood saw to cut their pieces of lumber into the shapes they
desire. They can also use the hammer and nails to add small scraps of wood to their lumber to
represent chimneys, etc. The younger children can use wood glue to do the same. Both groups
can use sandpaper to smooth the lumber. Make sure children wear protective gloves and goggles
whenever they are handling tools of any kind, including sandpaper.
5. Make sure the bottom of each "building" is sanded smooth and flat so it will stand up when
added to the neighborhood.
6. When the pieces are ready, the children can use the paint and markers to decorate them to represent
the building they have chosen. Decorative windows and doors can be cut out of colorful
magazine pages and glued on after the paint dries. Don't forget to label your community buildings.
7. Add the new buildings to the block area.
More to do
Field trip: If possible, plan a field trip to walk (or even drive) around your neighborhood. Look for
the types of buildings your children chose to represent with their pieces of lumber. How many
stores do you see? What kind are they? Did you find a library, a museum, police or fire department?
Math: Record what you found on the field trip and make a chart or graph when you get back.
More art: Make a neighborhood mat to put your houses on. On a large flat piece of cardboard,
draw in city streets and rural roads. Add fields, grassy areas, parks, parking lots, and crosswalks at
the intersections.
Original poem
The Buildings in Your Neighborhood
These are the buildings in your neighborhood
In your neighborhood, in your neighborhood.
These are the buildings in your neighborhood
The buildings that you see every day.
The Post office is a building in your neighborhood
In your neighborhood, in your neighborhood.
The Post Office is a building in your neighborhood
You take your letters there to mail.
The Library is a building in your neighborhood
In your neighborhood, in your neighborhood.
The Library is a building in your neighborhood
You can read some great books there.
The Grocery Store is a building in your neighborhood
In your neighborhood, in your neighborhood.
The Grocery Store is a building in your neighborhood
You can buy some yummy food there.
