For the last few weeks, I’ve been going to Becky’s school once a week to help in art class. The architecture unit in the fourth grade is a community institution in Trumansburg. Early in the year, the classes visit the different styles of houses in the Village (as weather permits) and draw pictures of them. In Social Studies, they study the different architectural styles as they relate to American history. They write reports. And they build houses out of foam core board – one style per homeroom class.

The kids place the windows, draw the foundations, choose what type of molding to use around the doors and windows, glaze and sash the windows, shape and attach the molding, and build the stairs. The adult helpers cut out the windows with an exacto knife, glue the whole structure together with hot glue, and try to keep the kids on task. This is the house my group built, with a little help from me. It was a blast.

Some personal things have kept me busy lately, but hopefully things are returning to something resembling normal.