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: 3/11/2013

Week of 3-11: The Thursday group worked with me to create a scavenger hunt based upon descriptive hints, the ability to blend into crowds, and decision making/problem solving skills.  Students would write messages on thick pieces of paper and assign point values to the lips based on how hard they would be to find.  Then they spread throughout the library, pretending to be an average patron, while they hid the paper somewhere.  Back in the room with me, they had to write riddles or clues on a different piece of paper.  We revised clues and worked to be helpful but neither too difficult nor too easy.  Once everyone had their clues finished, we would flip them over on the table and the kids would have to scan the clues, decide which ones were solvable, and then set out to find the pieces of paper.  The Saturday group investigated creating facial expressions on flip cards that allowed them to change their expressions instantaneously.  They then wrote several skits around a central idea, allowing fun improvisation of a bus ride that picked up monsters!

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: 2/25/2013

Week of 2-25: My Thursday group returned this week after the snow cancellation last week to work on their tessellations.  In finishing the projects the kids are able to see the effect of a repeating, interlocking pattern.  The colors are designs used by the kids are vivid and eye-catching.  The Thursday and Saturday groups both used the recent heavy snows to explore three-dimensional cubes.  My wife had seen a news report explaining that the recent snow fall was particularly heavy, with a cubic foot of the snow weighing approximately 20 pounds!  Both the Thursday and Saturday kids were challenged to build an actual cubic foot using rulers and scotch tape.  They formed groups, had to select their supplies, and then work as a team to build the cubes.  Different strategies were used, with some groups all working on one section at a time while others divided the work of making squares and then joining them later.  The placement of the tape at the vertices (or corners) was crucial.  After kids finished their cubic feet we reviewed the difference between the metric system and the US (standard system) or measurement.  Kids were then challenged to compete against another team to use their newly acquired learning to build a cubic meter.  Finally, kids looked at approximately how many cubic feet would fit into the cubic meter, noting that since we were dealing with two measurement systems there would be "extra space."  The kids loved the activities and the hands-on project!

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 2/18/2013

Week of 2-18: The heavy snow hit our area and closed down schools and the library; my Thursday group missed this week.  However, by Saturday the library was open again and I was able to meet with the kids, who all were excited to be out of the house and doing something!  We continued to work on our tessellations, finishing drawing over the pencil tracings and then adding colors.  Kids experimented with adding in simple two-dimensional shapes repeating inside the tessellating forms they originally drew.  For the second hour we returned to the audio hide/find challenge from last week, where kids are on teams and hide things from each other.  The team members must listen carefully to recorded directions to find the objects.  The kids continue to learn how to refine step-by-step directions, give accurate and distinct descriptions, and even to anticipate the mistakes and misunderstandings of team members.

Coleman's Camp - Weekly Journal Entry: 2/11/2013

Week of 2-11: Both the Thursday and Saturday groups explored tessellations (http://www.tessellations.org/), creating their own shapes from simple 3x5 cards, tessellating them across a large piece of paper, and tracing over the outlines.  The time working on our tessellations also gives us time to focus on quality work, talk, and listen to music.  The Saturday group also worked on a unique problem solving activity created just for them.  Developing language skills - including descriptive abilities, accuracy, word choice, and correcting from prior mistakes - the Saturday group uses a small digital audio recorder to record directions to team members to help them find an object hidden somewhere in the room.  Kids quickly learn to be specific, use adjectives, and to think from the perspective of teammates who have no idea what the object is or where it is hidden.

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!