Carpentry students and a few tenth graders came together to build two mud kitchens for Kendal Early Learning Center in Oberlin.

 

Jeni Hoover, Kendal Early Learning Center director, shared that nature and exploration are very important to them and they wanted an area where the children could just be children, without the restrictions and rules of daily lives. 

 

“We recently designed an outdoor classroom where the children are able to explore, take risks, and be a little more wild than they are able to be in the typical classroom,” Hoover said.

 

Hoover had a vision of what she wanted, and the Lorain County JVS was able to make it a reality.

 

Working alongside the carpentry seniors, Tamarr Long, sophomore from Elyria, helped put the shingles on the rooftops of the two houses. “I’ve liked being able to shadow the carpentry lab. It has been fun and I’ve learned a lot. I really liked working on a project that will be a part of the local community too,” Long said.

 

“We are so pleased with the mud kitchens that the Lorain County JVS made for us.  I had a vision of a small house that children could use to create in with items from nature, and the JVS made it come true.  I see many mud pies, flower soups, stick castles, and other creations in our future,” shared Hoover.