Kentwood — It was week three of the “zombie apocalypse,” and Brookwood Elementary students in the ARCH summer enrichment program were focused on survival.
“You need to always have food and water saved up in case a zombie approaches. You need to be prepared,” said rising fifth-grader Thomas Robinson.
Soon-to-be fourth-grader Juma Donatien explained how to prevent catching the zombie virus that had taken over the world: “If you get germs you might get infected and the virus might spread, so you have to wash your hands with soap.”
While they imaginatively talked about defeating the walking dead, students gathered dirt, leaves, wood chips and other materials near the school playground. Upon returning to classrooms, they assembled water filters and built mini shelters while considering basic human needs of clean water and shelter.
It has been a perilous time for the 63 first- through fifth-grade survivors of the mock outbreak, explained ARCH site coordinator Mariah Walker. For six weeks this summer, the students spent four days a week outmaneuvering the contagion and rebuilding a society.
“Right now they are still at risk of ‘becoming zombies,’ so they need to stay safe and protected, making sure they are doing things like washing their hands and keeping surfaces clean, so they don’t (get the zombie virus),” Walker said of the simulation. “Throughout the summer our plan is for it to become eradicated or to find a cure for it.”
The lesson, created by Walker and titled “Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse,” includes three two-week chapters focused on the outbreak of the virus, survival and a post-apocalypse society.
Science, Math, Reading and Survival
The project began with a story about a doctor who accidentally created a zombie virus and didn’t want to destroy it. That led to engaging math and science lessons.
“We spent the first two weeks learning about germs and how they spread,” Walker said.
In the story, the virus gets out into the community and starts to spread. Students played laser tag and other games around the theme of surviving zombies.
“They track the outbreak and see where it’s going, how quickly it’s spreading and what stage of the pandemic they are in,” Walker said.
During the survival phase of the lesson, students focused on finding shelter, food and water. They worked in a community garden to learn about growing and harvesting food and visited a dairy farm to learn about milk production.
During the final two weeks of the lesson, students focused on rebuilding society by electing a mayor of their new town, creating an education system and writing public laws.
They have also created comics on the spread of the virus, written out goals for defeating the virus, and learned the science behind viruses. In addition, they’ve created pottery and baskets that they will trade at the end of the summer.
Walker said the lesson is about academics and having fun, but also about learning how to adapt to unexpected situations.
“If we were in a place where it was really bad and we had to start over, would our kids have those skills? I thought this was a good way to teach them actual survival skills that I hope they never need.”
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