It takes a classroom to raise a village

If it takes a village to raise a child, how many children does it take to make a village? Twenty-three -- if they're the children in Linda Eddy's second-grade class at Mokena Elementary School.

The 8-year-old students created a model town called Eddyville as part of a social studies unit about communities. Eddyville boasted a police station, fire station, museum, grocery store, fitness center, animal clinic, zoo and much more.

The kids, with help from their families, constructed the buildings from cardboard boxes, Plexiglass, wood scraps, modeling clay, toy trucks, plastic animals, lots of glue and loads of imagination. Students had about a month to complete the project, and afterward they wrote persuasive essays about why their building should be included in Eddyville.

The project was part of a Junior Achievement program led by Mokena Police Department officer Darren McVicker. McVicker met with the class every week for five weeks to talk about how communities function. Children learn that communities are for living, learning, working and playing, Eddy said.

Eddy said she has been assigning Eddyville in her class for many years, and the kids love it. "It's a wonderful project that gives kids a better understanding of their community and how it works," she said.

It also engages creative and problem-solving skills and gives kids the opportunity to share the experience with their parents. "Over the years, this project has taken on a life of its own," Eddy said. "Students and parents have become quite creative with the building process."

Many buildings had elaborate detail. Alec Robustelli and his family made a three-store fitness center with a basketball court, swimming pool and rock-climbing wall. His grandfather, who works at a tile store, provided tile scraps for the floors. Alec and his parents fashioned exercise equipment from modeling clay and foam and painted it black. They even created a logo, a decorative EFC, for their Eddyville Fitness Center.

Some children drew inspiration from their parents' occupations. Molly Schuringa, whose father is a firefighter, made a fire station from a cardboard box and a plastic fire helmet. Ben Kukla made a grocery store. "I really like to eat food, and my dad works at a grocery store," Ben explained.

Taylor Miron decided to make a bakery. "My grandfather was a baker in the Navy, and my other grandfather was a cook in the Army," she said.

Miniaturizing the building fixtures took some creativity. Claire Peters, who made a zoo, bought tiny plastic animals and trees at a craft store. She used rocks from her yard for landscaping.

Jared Bachman and his family made an aquarium. The Plexiglass cube was filled with plastic sharks, exotic fish, crabs and other marine life. Jared said he based it on an aquarium he visited on a trip to Michigan over winter break. "It helps people learn about different sea creatures," he said.

Kiera Bulger said she borrowed some things from her brother's toy box to make an airport. "My brother had a bunch of planes he never played with," she said.

Julia Roessler also used toy vehicles, including a helicopter, to make a police station. The two-story building had a helipad on the roof and a jail inside. "Wanted" posters on the wall featured Julia and her brother. She said she looked on the Internet for examples on which to model her creation. "I learned a lot about police stations," she said.

The kids agreed the best part of the project was spending time with their families.