Square
Square is QuietGround’s foundational curriculum—designed to support careful thinking, collaboration, and hands-on learning through building and structured play.
Developed through direct teaching in school and community settings, Square integrates craftsmanship, clear rules, and shared problem-solving to create learning experiences that are both grounded and durable.
The Work
Square is built around a simple premise: how students make and play shapes how they think, work together, and engage with learning.
Through a sequence of scaffolded projects and games, students explore concepts such as balance, fairness, precision, and planning. Learning is anchored in physical engagement—measuring, marking, assembling, revising—and reinforced through structured play governed by clear, shared rules.
The curriculum emphasizes:
craftsmanship as a practice of attention and care
games as a framework for fairness, cooperation, and shared responsibility
embodied learning that supports focus, persistence, and problem-solving
Craftsmanship & Fair Play
In Square, building and playing are intentionally paired.
Students construct boards, pieces, and simple objects that are then used in structured games. This design allows abstract concepts—such as fairness, constraint, and balance—to be experienced concretely, both physically and socially.
Mistakes are expected. Revision is built into the process. Precision is practiced over time, rather than demanded immediately.
This approach supports learning environments where care, patience, and mutual respect are embedded in the work itself.
How It’s Taught
Square is designed to function within real school contexts.
Lessons:
unfold predictably and at a measured pace
balance clear structure with opportunities for creative choice
support sustained focus without relying on urgency or competition
encourage collaboration while respecting individual working styles
The curriculum is attentive to a wide range of learners, including students with sensory sensitivities and neurodiverse profiles such as ASD1, while remaining accessible and engaging for mixed groups.
A Living Curriculum
Square is a living curriculum that continues to evolve through teaching, observation, and reflection.
Rather than relying on a rigid script, the work is refined through real implementation, allowing it to remain responsive to students, educators, and context. This approach supports consistency in values while allowing flexibility in practice.
Contexts for the Work
Square is delivered in partnership with schools and community-based programs that value thoughtful, hands-on enrichment.
It is best suited to environments that:
recognize enrichment as meaningful educational work
allow time for careful making and structured play
value depth, clarity, and shared norms
Specific formats are shaped collaboratively to fit scheduling, space, and community needs.
An Invitation
If you’re interested in Square, or in creating space for careful, hands-on learning within your school or community, we’d be glad to connect.