|Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute||Home| At first glance, it
may seem questionable that this topic could be made palatable to
elementary school children. I believe that as residents of the
urban decay, and more often than not the residents of “sick”
buildings, children will be able to identify with the changes in
their environment and the beauty that is still around them in
the city if they are introduced to some architectural concepts.
At the heart of this curriculum is the underlining assumption
that as with many things, we must take an often technical
language and put it in terms that a child can understand.
Initially I would like to suggest that the children know more
than we would think about architecture. Obviously they have an
understanding of what home is and what it means to them. Some
have dealt with home and the loss of it. Many have moved from
place to place for various reasons. Many have more than one
place they call “home” be it that of a divorced parent, or aunt,
or grandmother. While they may