THE CLUBHOUSE PROJECT

by Gwen Coe and Barb Smith
Hypertext version by Sylvia C. Chard 

This project was undertaken in the Fall of 1995 by children aged 4-5 years at First Step Preschool in Camdenton, Missouri, a private preschool setting.

Initial Planning

A class of 4-5 year olds were beginning their second year together with the same teacher. The previous year, the children had taken great pleasure in pretend play with a large cardboard box decorated as a house. At the beginning of the new school year, the teacher was planning to make The Three Little Pigs' Houses with three cardboard boxes. She shared her ideas with the children and they began to talk about getting sticks from the woods for the 'House of Sticks'. Then the conversation moved on to the possibility of constructing a real house and with further discussion the idea of a secret clubhouse emerged.

The teacher knew immediately from the children's enthusiasm that this would be a topic of high interest among the children with possibilities for a long term project.

Phase 1

The teacher led a discussion about what would be needed for the secret clubhouse. The children had ideas about several different kinds of houses. Interesting discussions about different kinds of house construction took place. Children named tools-hammers, wood, nails, saws, hard hats, work gloves, etc. The chalkboard was filled with childrens' ideas after brainstorming.

Next, the class walked into the woods (located 40 feet behind the preschool) to select a site. It took two or three trips to gain group consensus on the right site. The children were looking for a large clearing because Jake was concerned about nature and did not want to cut down trees.

Teachers' Concerns

The teacher wanted to be cautious not to reject childrens' ideas such as the notion of building the 'house in a tree'. She wanted to be able to help the children implement their ideas.

Which visiting experts would be most helpful?
Which sites would be most beneficial and safe for field work?

Parental support and involvement was not a concern because she had worked with these children and families last year. She knew the parents and already had a good relationship with families. She believed there would be support because she knew that in her class of 14 children--four of their fathers were builders. The major concern was where to begin.

Phase 2

The teacher planned for children to visit a construction site. Then children developed first drawings and ideas for their clubhouse. In the first drawings there were birdhouses as discussed in the initial planning. Many ladders and pathways were also in the early original drawings.

Class discussions included the role of architects and the role of construction workers.

Visiting Expert

The teacher was unable to find an architect, so a parent brought in house plans from an architect to show the children.

Field Work: Construction Site #1

Children visited the construction site that was being supervised by one of the fathers.

The children learned about the lead in the pencil which is darker than a #2 pencil. As a result, they became even more involved in their pretend play. Children imitated the construction workers that they saw with the pencils in their ears. They would mark on wood, write, and then put the pencils back in their ears.

Visiting Expert

Jake's father volunteered during the field trip to guide the other parents and children in the framing of the structure for the clubhouse. The teacher and children began to see Jake's father as their leader through the initial phase of constructing the clubhouse. After the construction site visit, children began to think of things they had at home that they could bring such as "My dad has a hammer, I can bring."

Many children mentioned that they had wood at home that they could donate. The teacher sent a note home to parents asking for scrap wood. Many parents volunteered but were slow in delivering the wood to school. So, the class took a field trip to a second construction site.

How Size was Determined

Jake's dad suggested 12' x 12' because that is the standard length of lumber. The children and teacher measured the site with rulers and tape measures and used string tied to trees to mark the size and placement of the clubhouse.

Clearing the Land

This was a two to three week process that occurred during outdoor time.

Impact on the Daily Life of the Classroom

Children had access to tools at the workbench in the classroom. Children became more interested in attaching boards together instead of just nailing nails into boards. Children would see things happening to the clubhouse and they would select the art center for center time in order to draw pictures showing progress on the clubhouse. Frequently, they shared their new ideas with their pictures instead of with their words--recording, documenting, drawing out what they were thinking. Because they were 'engaged' in the project, respect for children's ideas encouraged more complex thinking. Children frequently drew their ideas at home and brought them to school to share and they would say "...I was thinking.., so I drew this....what do you think?"

The teacher collected four or five kinds of lumber from the lumber yard and brought these to class for children to explore. They discussed qualities of the different woods including hard and soft. They learned about 2x2's and 2x4's and 2x6's. The children measured the boards at the work bench in the classroom. Luke and Jake, who were not interested in counting on the calendar, could count up to 24 on a ruler or a tape measure. They began measuring many things in the classroom. Number recognition became much easier for the boys after many measuring experiences.

Teachers' Concerns

How much would this project cost?
Would all children be equally interested?
Where would we get the wood?
How to deal with gender bias raised by the boys?
--several comments about what girls could and could not do on the project.
Would children have difficulty accepting other's ideas because of their young age?

The teacher saw disappointment briefly on children's faces when their ideas were discarded by the group and so she had concerns for self esteem. However, her concerns were unfounded, because children learned quickly to accept different points of view and to continue to work with the group exploring all ideas.

Children's patience and whether and when the children's interest would wane was a concern. The teacher purposely had children planning for next steps while implementing a present solution that had been discussed and decided upon.

Framing the Structure

Parents came to school on a Saturday to frame the clubhouse. Jake's father arranged for all of the materials needed and guided the volunteers. Approximately 8 adults with children spent most of one day building the floor, framing the walls, and constructing the roof. The preschool budget funded the cost of framing lumber ($135.00).

To read more on the construction process click here.

Inside the Clubhouse

After Savannah's mother donated varying sizes of sheetrock,the children measured and drew the lines for the teacher who cut the pieces for them to nail up. Children learned to accept the ideas of others-- when another's idea made more sense than their own. An example of this was when Luke measured and marked every four inches for Alex who had been putting his nails in the drywall every one inch. Alex was very accepting of Luke's suggestion and help.

Outside the Clubhouse

Jacob and Kevin's fathers volunteered to come to school during class time and assist with the exterior painting.

The children also worked on the inside of the clubhouse.

The children wanted a door that only they could enter. Savannah suggested an underground tunnel that would begin in the playground and would end with a trap door inside the clubhouse. Jake was concerned that the tunnel be lined with tile because he wanted a bug-free tunnel. Children discussed the possibility of a 'tunnel-like' door, then a 'dog-type door' and finally a 'drawbridge-like door' that would lock. Savannah developed a shoebox replica of how the drawbridge door might work using yarn and a rock tied to the end for a counter-balance (Savannah's idea).

Adults helped to implement the plan by using the pieces of lumber the children were already using as a ramp into the clubhouse. Ali had located two scrap pieces of lumber and designated one to be the 'in' ramp and one to be the 'out' ramp.

Several children used a red magic marker to draw arrows so all children could remember 'in' and 'out'. Savannah was concerned that teenagers might get into their clubhouse. (Apparently teenagers have a reputation with some preschoolers.) Alex suggested keys and a lock for purposes of security. And more importantly, the keys were for each child because they wanted to be able to come back to the clubhouse during the summer and after they entered kindergarten in the Fall. One lock and fourteen keys were purchased for the children after much discussion about the number of locks and keys needed.

To read about how well the children all worked together click here.

There was also evidence of quite an impact of our project on the children's lives at home.

Personalizing New Knowledge

The children also worked hard with the soil in front of the clubhouse. First they made a volcano and then they planted flowers.

Phase 3

Culminating Event

An open house was planned for parents, grandparents and community members the first Sunday in June. It coincided with graduation and a preschool open house celebrating its 20th year.

Camdenton is a very stable community and many of the children who have attended First Step Preschool still live in the area.

Teachers' Concerns

The teacher was concerned about completion of the clubhouse in time for the dedication.

Some Areas of Learning that Occurred

Increased vocabulary- all words for planning and building written on chalkboard
Use of many information books as resources
Listening and speaking skills developed in class meetings
Learning to understand the perspective of others
Problem solving in all aspects of the project
Mathematics-number operations, numeral recognition, measurement
Scientific principles, ie. pulley system, inclined planes
Fine and gross motor skills
Eye hand coordination
Patience, because of the length of the project

THE BIRDHOUSE PROJECT

(linked to Clubhouse Project)

by Gwen Coe and Barb Smith

This project was undertaken in the Fall of 1995 by children aged 4-5 years at First Step Preschool in Camdenton, Missouri, a private preschool setting. To read more about it click here.

Initial Planning

This step occurred four months prior to Phase 1-- during first planning session for the secret clubhouse. Discussions and drawings which included the future birdhouses were evident in childrens' every day conversations and drawings of the clubhouse.

To select another project click here

Last revised: February 18, 1997