Mapping The Commonwealth with Seeding the Future

On Friday, November 19, 2021, a second grade classroom from Beasley Academic Center visited The Commonwealth for SWF’s first in-person field trip since the COVID-19 Pandemic began. The visit included a mapping activity of The Commonwealth followed by a session where they designed a growing neighborhood. Read more about the Seeding the Future field trip at The Commonwealth.

Despite being a chilly day in the middle of November,The Commonwealth was buzzing with energy and excitement as soon as the bus dropped off the 20+ second graders. The group gathered in a large circle in the Community Garden area to introduce Sweet Water Foundation and The Commonwealth to students. The SWF team had visited Beasely in October and dropped off produce to the school, but this was the first time many of the students visited The Commonwealth.

The group was split up into four groups that rotated through stations (Meeting House, Hoop Houses, Community Garden, and Work-Shop) across The Commonwealth to learn more about the urban ecology and engage in a hands-on mapping activity. At each station, students wrote and drew what they saw in the space and listed the activities that happen there. For example, in the Work-Shop students observed the wood, tools, seats, SWF Mallets, and other products that were built by the SWF team from reclaimed wood. They were amazed by the possibility of building with so-called ‘waste’ materials. 

After rotating through each station, the students gathered in the Thought Barn to collectively imagine what a growing neighborhood looks like. They drew pictures that captured what they envisioned for their future community. SWF is excited to continue engaging with Beasley Academic Center virtually and in-person in 2022.