Maple Avenue Elementary School in Sussex is excited to share a unique, school-wide event that combines creativity, physical activity and community service. On March 26, all students learned about force in motion by playing mini golf on an indoor course designed and built by third graders. The weeks-long project provided a unique opportunity to combine art class with the fitness education striking unit.
“The last couple of weeks have been a lot of collaboration among teachers and collaboration among third grade students,” explains Maple Avenue Elementary School Art Teacher Christine Woywod Veettil. “After we determined themes, the students started out by drawing plans for what a mini golf hole could look like with different curves and turns and ramps.”
The school has also been collecting non-perishable food items to incorporate in the indoor golf course design. All collected items will be donated to Sussex Outreach Services to help feed local families.
“It’s amazing to see the kids and how excited they have been to create these holes,” shares
Maple Avenue Elementary School Fitness Education Teacher Chris Totero. “Seeing their creativity coming out has been phenomenal!”
“We had to really think about which angle to put the ramp on,” shares Maple Avenue Elementary School student Taran Sathappan. “And we had to cut a lot of cardboard!”
Woywod Veettil says the project has been a wonderful opportunity for educators themselves to model the value of collaboration. “I’ve been telling the kids, part of why it’s special when we as teachers collaborate is that we stretch our thinking. The ideas that I had alone are not as rich as the ones I had when I heard Mr. T’s ideas about what makes a good golf hole. The ideas that he might have had about what makes for an interesting course, were stretched too as we came up with wild ideas in the art room and responded with all the different supplies that we have,” she adds.
“Specials classes, such as art and fitness education, are probably the most popular classes for our elementary students,” says Totero. “When the students see the art world and the fitness education world collide, it’s even cooler for them,” he explains. “I think they also like seeing me in the art room!”
Maple Avenue Elementary School would like to extend a special thank you to Menards in Pewaukee for generously donating supplies to help bring the student-created course to life.