Third Graders Construct Farmington Out Of Gingerbread

FARMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) -- It's a class project that's too pretty to eat, but these gingerbread houses took a lot more work than just frosting and gumdrops.

More than 100 third graders at Riverview Elementary were given the assignment to choose a building in Farmington, study it and build it out of gingerbread.

Lucy and her partner built a historic bed and breakfast in town. It's one of 52 buildings that the third graders built.

"We're really into project-based learning here and so wanted to make it fun and exciting for the holiday," said Angie Asher Carlson, a teacher at Riverview Elementary.

The students got to show off their projects Friday to parents and students on their last day at school before break.

Then, they got to deliver their sweet creations to the places that inspired them. One particular gingerbread house got delivered to Sweet Kneads, the Farmington bakery building has been there for more than eight decades.

And even if there were a few construction mishaps along the way, the students start the New Year with something much sweeter than just decorating skills.

"It's made them more aware of the community and what's here," Carlson said.

The students were able to share their projects and their city with a class via skype in Kansas. They may also get the opportunity to skype with a class in Canada and even Lithuania.

It took the students about four days from start to finish to construct the gingerbread buildings. They also had to write an essay about why their building was important to Farmington.