Community Work Builders

Learning Guide

A simple guide to lead you through the kickoff, the core challenge, and everything in between.

Mai’s Tips

1. Encourage your child to think beyond traditional jobs, including artists, musicians, scientists, or volunteers, to broaden their understanding of 'work'.
2. If younger children are struggling with building, suggest drawing or simply cutting out shapes to represent elements, scaling the complexity to their age.

Photo by DaddyAI on Pexels

1Introduction 5 min

• Begin by asking about Labor Day. Labor Day is a special day in early September when we celebrate the hard work of all the people who do different jobs to help our communities. It's important because it reminds us to appreciate everyone's contributions to making our lives better. Ask them: "What is Labor Day meant to celebrate?" Then, invite them to share their observations. "What are some jobs you see people doing around you?" Follow up with: "What does that person do to help others?" There are no wrong answers as they share their thoughts freely. Done when your child shares at least two types of jobs they observe in their daily life.

Done when: Student shares at least two types of jobs they observe.

Photo by EqualStock IN on Pexels

2Explore & Plan 8 min

• Now, plan to build a miniature community model that showcases these different jobs. A community is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common; it's important because we all rely on each other to make it work. Ask: "What materials could we use to build a community model?" Help them gather materials like paper, crayons, scissors, recycled items (empty boxes, toilet paper rolls, plastic containers), and glue (or tape/stapler). Encourage them to think about diverse jobs. Ask: "How can we show many different kinds of jobs?" Guide them to sketch out some ideas for their model. Ask: "What materials do we have that could become a ______?" Done when your child has a plan for their community model and has gathered all necessary materials.

Done when: Student has a plan for their community model and has gathered materials.

Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels

3Discussion 6 min

• Focus on how different jobs connect and support each other. Interdependence means that different jobs rely on each other to get things done, much like a farmer grows food and a baker uses that food to make bread. This is important because it shows how everyone's work is connected and valuable. Ask your child: "What do you notice about all the different jobs we talked about?" Then, prompt them to consider connections. "Do some jobs rely on others to get their work done?" You can also ask: "Why is it important to have so many different types of workers in a community?" If they get stuck, gently ask: "What if we didn't have _____? Who would do that job?" Done when your child can explain that different jobs contribute in unique ways and often depend on each other.

Done when: Student can explain that different jobs contribute in unique ways and often depend on each other.

Photo by Mahmoud Zakariya on Pexels

4Activity 9 min

• Now, it's time to build the community of work using the materials gathered. Encourage creativity and remind them there's no single "right" way to represent jobs. Support their building process; for younger children, help with cutting or gluing if needed, and for older children, encourage more detail or symbolic representation. Ask guiding questions as they build: "How will you represent the ______ job?" or "What part of your community will you build next?" If they face challenges, ask: "What challenge are you facing with this part?" or "How could you show that job in a different way?" Focus on perseverance and creative problem-solving. Done when your child has completed building their community of work model.

Done when: Student has completed the physical activity, building their community of work model.

Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels

5Summary 2 min

• Celebrate your child's effort and the incredible community they've built. Help them connect their creation back to the bigger idea of Labor Day. Ask: "How does seeing all these jobs together make you feel about Labor Day?" Then, invite reflection on the process: "What was the most interesting job you represented or learned about today?" You can also ask open-ended questions like: "What was the hardest part of building your model?" or "What did you enjoy most about this activity?" Done when your child shares at least one key takeaway from the lesson.

Done when: Student shares one key takeaway.

Your Notes