Project Overview

The SB Kids Local Treasures project was taught in a fully remote first grade class during the Covid-19 pandemic. The driving question for this project is “How can we do the work of journalists and illustrators to celebrate and support local treasures in our community?”

This project provided a platform for students to show their support for parks, businesses, and organizations that they believe are local treasures. During a time when our city’s economy and morale had been severely impacted by a global pandemic, students felt empowered to shine a positive spotlight on local establishments that bring value to them and to the community. Via Zoom, students collaborated with a journalist from UCSB and an art educator from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to write reviews and create illustrations that highlighted the venues they prize in our city.

Each student chose their own local treasure. Students recalled and gathered information about their local treasures to help them write informative paragraphs about these places. Additionally, students learned to write opinion pieces about the local treasures to celebrate everything that these places have to offer. The writing was accompanied by an illustration or design that represents the local treasure. Students gave and received feedback throughout the project to help one another improve the quality of their work until we were ready to publish.

To create the final product, student writing and artwork was printed together as one piece, framed, and presented to the local treasures by every student. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art helped us reach a broader audience by featuring each student’s work on their website.

Community members were honored by the support they received from our class, and students felt proud that they created quality work that made an impact on others.