Photos: Fort Belvoir Students Present Gingerbread Replicas at Mount Vernon

More than 200 fourth-graders presented gingerbread replicas of the Mount Vernon Estate's different buildings in a small ceremony at the on Tuesday morning.

The students spent two weeks planning, designing, and building their replicas. The students worked in teams within their classes to design blueprints in art classes and then built the replicas as part of their STEM curriculum, said STEM resource teacher Kara Fahy.

Mount Vernon provided supplemental teaching materials and the students were assisted by parent volunteers and professional chef Kathleen Linton. The STEM grant paid for some of the materials, science lab, and STEM resource teachers.

"It was a great way to collaborate and...it tied in to colonial Virginia history they learn in fourth grade and colonial drawings they did in art class," said Fahy.

The creations are inspired by different buildings within the Estate, including the grist mill, greenhouse, and 16-sided treading barn.

"The kids were real interested interested and meticulous," remarked Linton. "They were really creative with it."

The replicas will be on display with the gingerbread replica of the mansion in the lobby of the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center through January 6.