Coleman's Camp FALL 2013 - Imaginative Play During Halloween Time

Pirates!

Using Spanish Language book to create new Narratives in small groups, then "reading" the invented story to the "class"

Coleman's Camp - SUMMER 2013

Coleman's Camp, 2nd Week: TUESDAY

• Creating Cubic Meter structure in teams with meter sticks and duct tape
• Problem Solving construction issues of tape and support
• Devising Obstacle Course for teammates to traverse while dealing with certain limitations, such as eyes closed, no verbal communication, or understanding hand gestures for navigation

Coleman's Camp, 2nd Week: THURSDAY

• Students Challenged to slow the fall of a toy by creating paper cones and slides
• Problem Solving construction, support, and function
• Observing characteristics of objects
• Selection of various objects sharing several characteristics
• Game of using object characteristics to guide other students towards one object 

Coleman's Camp Studio, 2nd Week: SATURDAY

• Three groups working on projects
• Students helping other groups when needing a break from their group or simply interested in the work of other groups
• Revising supply lists
• Making progress on projects, including scripts, characters, props, and creative solutions to challenges faced during the creative process
• Wiring electrical circuits for use by one group

Coleman's Camp - SUMMER 2013

Coleman's Camp, 1st Week: TUESDAY and THURSDAY

• Getting to know you activities, discussion, and sharing
• Parts of a Microscope
• Human and Plant Cells, including introductory video
• Parts of Cells
• Cloning
• Nature walk to find samples to examine Cells
• Mushrooms, Blades of Grass, Insects, Lizard Skin, $10 bill, Human Blood, Berries, and Leaves
• Preparing Slides
• Drawings of magnified Cells
• Feeding and observation of Bearded Dragon, Lightning Bolt

Coleman's Camp Studio, 1st Week: SATURDAY

• Getting to know you discussion, including Three Truths and a Lie game
• Explanation of how Studio will be different from regular Coleman's Camp sessions
• Longer Projects lasting several weeks
• Emphasis on brainstorming, development of ideas, and taking our work to a final project or activity
• Mapping out themes that students are interested in studying
• Students selecting groups to work in
• Initial planning of projects, including scripts, character creation, and 
• Creating supply list of materials needed for each group
• Sustained and focused work time  

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 4/15/2013

Week of 4/15: The Thursday group started this week talking about Open House, which would be just an hour after the end of our session.  Kids shared some of the things they have been working on in their classrooms.  The Thursday group did a "pass-along story."  This setup was a unique way to challenge kids' writing and narrative skills.  Each kid started with their own piece of paper, writing a character introduction.  Next, we all folded our papers back to hide what we had just written, except for the last sentence, which was left visible.  We then passed our papers clockwise to the person next to us.  That kid then had to read the little bit of information left available and write about the setting of the story.  The paper was folded back again, hiding all but the last sentence.  Kids passed papers again.  We continued this process through different aspects of crafting a narrative, including introducing another character, creating a conflict, and finally having the story reach some type of resolution.  In the end we unfolded the accordion-like piece of paper and read the stories aloud.  The final product was exactly as bizarre and humorous as you might imagine, especially considering the surreal, unique, and sharp sense of humor this group exhibits.  The Thursday and Saturday groups both reviewed a packet of information received from the Omaha Zoo about the endangered animals we selected for a symbolic adoption.  The zoo had sent photographs of the actual animals we adopted, informational cards on each of the animals, a letter from the zoo about the program, and adoption certificates.  The Saturday group finished their session with game playing, allowing for some practice in sportsmanship and dealing with the frustrations of losing in games.

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 3/25/2013

Week of 3-25: The absolutely beautiful weather allowed the Thursday group to be outside for half their time, playing a game called "Psychiatrist" (based off of a game I learned at Avila University during my undergraduate years).  In this game, several players have to develop lines of questioning and sort through answers that may appear contradictory or inaccurate as they face a circle of "patients" who all have the same issue.  The psychiatrist faces a circle of these patients and is given a few rules and guidelines they must keep in mind while they play, such as "every patient is being truthful and you cannot ask the patients' names."  This game allowed for intensive social skills rehearsal and practice, problem solving, and higher level/abstract reasoning.  The Thursday group also participated in a game I developed some years ago called "Tim's Toy Store."  In Tim's Toy Store, the students are provided with dozens of collectibles, toys, stuffed animals, or household items that they are largely unfamiliar with.  They are initially provided a nominal amount of start-up money (usually around $5 in actual cash) and allowed time to examine the toys and other items.  The goal is for each student to choose the item that has the most actual value; the team who selects the items worth the most money (cumulatively) wins and is allowed to select any of the items to keep, while the other teams receive nothing (or so they believe, until the end of the game).  Assigned to teams, they have some business and strategy decisions to make.  I provide them with a few "free" pieces of information that can help them sort through the toys and other items and begin determining/deducing relative value.  Then I offer levels of information for sale at leveled prices, but purchasing this information will decrease actual money (on hand).  There is a balancing act on what resources to use, when, and how much to acquire these resources.  There are a variety of other factors that can be brought in depending upon how the students are doing, their interest level, frustrations, and even individual versus group decisions.  The motivating factor is that the winners will actually win valuable items while the non-winners will not have anything.  Of course, after a review of the lessons learned and reflection on decisions, consequences, group dynamics, and use of resources, I have a reveal where everyone is allowed to take an item, with the winning team having first choice.

The Saturday group finished creating mouths and eyeballs for play-acting faces and we took a few photos of the results. They then spent the majority of their time participating in a scaled down version of the Scavenger Hunt the older Thursday kids had helped invent last week.  The scavenger hunt used the descriptive hints, the ability to blend into crowds, and decision making/problem solving skills.  Each student selected unique items from a box and then spread throughout the library in teams to hide the items.  Back in the main meeting room, Violet worked with one team while I worked with the other, brainstorming puns, riddles, clues, symbols, and even metaphors that we wrote down.  We then read the clues to the other team and set off to find the items and earn points for our team.

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Enrty: 2/4/2013

Week of 2-4: This week it was the Thursday group students who were able to experiment with dry-ice.  They observed sublimation in action, created the eerie fog with warm water, and created many bizarre and alarming sounds with different types of metal items pressed against the dry-ice.  We discussed the hazards of dry-ice inhalation as well as the effects of rapid and extreme freezing of human skin when in direct contact with the sub-zero material.  The kids were especially excited by the use of 36mm film canisters that, when filled with dry-ice and capped, would build pressure as the dry-ice sublimated until the lid would explode off, usually hitting the ceiling.  I am sure the library patrons were alarmed at any screams they could overhear, it was amazing!  We also mixed in dish detergent and created dry-ice bubbles that looked like ever-expanding masses of brains or worms.  When grabbed or picked up and squeezed, the bubbles would burst leaving small clouds, a peculiar effect.  The Saturday group created Valentine's Day cards for parents, practicing brainstorming, reflective and authentic writing, rough draft correction and editing, and then writing the final nice copy.  The kids assembled a foam dog and added unique details.  The notes to their parents told of their favorite activities to do with their family.  The finished products looked fantastic!

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.

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

Week of 1-1: The start of a new year!  My Thursday group has been thinking of doing small skits or plays for several weeks to demonstrate and explore some of the concepts we have been working on.  However, we have consistently run out of time each week and this week they demanded they have the time and materials to create original performances.  We brainstormed a variety of surreal, humorous, and interesting ideas that the kids were passionate about.  Groups were formed based on interest in each of the stories.  We worked through outlining a story with a beginning, middle and end and then students began scripting out the actual story, parts, and building props.  The Saturday group I wanted to reverse the story writing process and give them a concrete object to build their stories around so we created monsters from scratch, using some high-quality fabric samples, wooden blocks, glue guns, and an assortment of eyes, metal pieces, and art supplies.  Next week both groups will be adding to their stories and will be performing their skits/plays - my plan is to record and post the videos.