Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 3/18/2013

Week of 3-18: This week we were able to have an extra session of Coleman's Camp on Monday.  This group of kids was able to take advantage of the beautiful weather to have a completely environmental / green Coleman's Camp.  On the grounds of the Library, we first collected natural materials such as leaves, bark, cherries, sticks, rocks, etc.  We then shaped mounds of earth and grass and created small mound homes or hovels that a creature might live within.  Our goal was to make a small magical or fantastical living space that one might happen by in the woods during an imaginary story.  The kids did an amazing job and we photographed the homes they made with the idea to later use some photo-editing software to copy in creatures we will create in our next session.  We also walked the perimeter of the library to examine the parts of the building they had never seen, including fossils in the exterior stone walls, drainage pipes, and the recessed areas of the building.  The Thursday group had a special meeting at the Central Resource Library and went on a book hunt through the stacks until each kid had dozens of books.  The Thursday and Saturday groups created flip mouth cards for skits, with the Saturday group finishing with enough time to record several skits that they brainstormed, each of which involved monsters!  They were exceptional at their improvisation skills and even invited a little sister and mom to join in!

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 3/4/2013

Week of 3-4: This week it was time for the Thursday group to revisit and re-explore a previous Coleman's Camp session, dry ice!  They took their previous investigations of dry ice and were able to replicate experiments and manipulate the variables they now understand.  They could vary the temperature of the water, use the liquid dish soap more sparingly, and knew how to get the empty 35mm film canisters to explode with maximum force!  Everyone had certain attributes of dry ice they wanted to focus on, and we took many photographs of their results.  The Saturday group created bases, lairs, jet backpacks, and other buildings from basic cardboard boxes.  We learned how to utilize our creativity and imagination to take boxes and transform them into accessories for the types of toys each kid plays with at home.  Some wanted a car bay for storing Hot Wheels; others wanted a Batman type base for action figures.  We worked to primarily use the boxes and any pieces cut from them to make doors, windows, ceiling pieces, walls, walkways, etc.  We then used a glue gun and paint to finish off the boxes.  My son Beckett brought in toys from our van and kids were able to test out their creations in imaginative play.

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 1/7/2013 and 1/14/2013

Week of 1-7 and 1-14: the Thursday group has two weeks full of preparing costumes, making props, writing scripts, practicing parts, and drawing on their bodies with (hopefully) washable markers!  The Saturday group worked to create Monsters and their habitats/haunts. The Saturday kids created back stories for their Monsters and planned presentations of how the Monsters lived and the adventures they went on.  Filming the plays and presentations has been exciting and hilarious.  Videos uploaded to Coleman’s Camp YouTube playlist, including some great outtakes and behind-the-scenes material.  The kids have been amazing and their creativity boundless.  The skits and presentations involved group communication and cooperation, creative writing, art skills for props and Monster creation, and planning out beginning, middle, and end of a story or presentation as well as improvising through mistakes.  I am extremely proud of everyone!  The Saturday group also participated in a LEGO based problem solving day where they were challenged to recreate something from their homes, build something without looking at it, and working as a group (including Mr. Coleman) to build cooperatively.