Our Boston: Voices from Kindergarten
What would our Boston look like if it was a safer, fairer, and more interesting city for children? This question arrives at Boston Public School (BPS) Kindergarten classrooms from the City of Boston Mayor’s Office each spring. The question, and the design prompt that follows, allow students to work together with their classmates, explore their creativity, and think about their city.
Developed by BPS over 10 years ago, Our Boston asks participating classrooms to choose an idea in response to the Mayor's prompt and build a 3’x4’ model showcasing their design. To develop the model, classrooms work through the design process; first, asking questions of their friends and family, then drawing and building their design. Teachers and volunteer architects guide students through the design process and assist with model-making.
New in 2024, the BSA piloted an extension of their Lesson on Architecture visits for architects to assist students with their Our Boston projects before both programs merged for 2025. New in 2025, all Boston and Cambridge Public School classrooms will participate in the expanded program, with all participating volunteers visiting to share the original lesson on architecture and returning to assist their paired classroom in the design process of their Our Boston/Our Cambridge project.
As an extension of its partnership through the Kindergarten curriculum, BSA hosts a public exhibition and celebration, Our Boston: Voices from Kindergarten (2019-present), in May. The pop-up exhibition marks the culmination of the Focus on K-2 10-week unit on construction, which houses the BSA’s Kindergarten curriculum, and brings students' ideas about the city to the public. Having adopted the BSA's curriculum and BPS's year-long Focus on K-2 structure, Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) has adapted the prompt to Our Cambridge and hosts an exhibition with the City of Cambridge Mayor's Office.
BSA's commitment to Our Boston/Our Cambridge is part of its larger effort to build early awareness of architecture/design, promote the youth voice in the city, and extend its partnership with local kindergarten classrooms. Through the classroom visits, exhibitions, and celebrations, BSA provides a forum for students, families, teachers, city administrators, and the public to continue the conversations about architecture beyond the walls of the classroom.
2025
Dates
April-May 2025
Locations
Visits: Boston and Cambridge classrooms
Exhibition and Events: Boston and Cambridge City Halls
Program
Type
Classroom workshops
Event and exhibition
Grade Level
Kindergarten
Timeframe
Exhibition and Celebration: 2019-present
Our Boston Classroom Visits: 2024-present
Timeline
November: Classroom application
December: Volunteer application
January: Volunteer application continues and classroom pairing begins
February: Volunteer preparation and classroom visit #1 for Lesson on Architecture
March-April: Classroom visit #2 for Our Boston/Our Cambridge project
May: Our Boston/Our Cambridge Celebration(s) and Exhibition(s)
Collaborators
Partners
Boston Public Schools K-2 Department
Cambridge Public Schools K-2 Department
Volunteers
Local architects and designers
Volunteers
Sharing your knowledge and interest in architecture/design with local students is essential to building early awareness of built environment. Thank you to our volunteers, both past and present, for your time and energy dedicated to this program.
Applications are open for 2025 volunteers. Sign up today.
Support
Thank you to those who have generously supported this program. The program's growth and development were supported by the Cummings Foundation (2020-2022).
To support this and other public programs, consider donating to the BSA Foundation.
