Students at John S. Hobart Elementary School recently participated in a life-sized version of the popular board game "Candy Land" held in their school library. This event, organized by librarian Renee Dolan and teacher aide Brendaliz Santiago, marks its fourth consecutive year.
The school's library is transformed for this annual event into a large-scale representation of the childhood game. The floor features loops of colored construction paper mimicking the game's spaces, while tables are adorned to represent various destinations within Candy Land. Teachers call out colors, prompting students to move to corresponding squares. Specially marked pink squares offer prizes for students to collect throughout their journey around the game board.
The initiative began in 2021 as students returned to school during the pandemic with social distancing measures still active. It was intended as an alternative experience akin to trick-or-treating. Now, it serves both as an enjoyable activity and a learning tool. "We refer back to the Candy Land game when we are discussing patterns in the primary grades," explained Mrs. Dolan. For older students, concepts like algorithms and conditionals are introduced through references to the game.
Feedback from participants has been highly positive, particularly from students who eagerly anticipate the event each year. "Our students look forward to this activity each year and begin asking, on the first day of school, when it is being held," noted Mrs. Dolan.