Alex and I are working on a visitor experience that will happen in the new GIANT atrium space in the New Science Centre. We’ve stopped counting what version of this program we are on, but I think the multiple iterations are worth it.

Yesterday was a very exciting day because we took 6 of the new activities to the Boys and Girls Club to try them out with the 45 kids who are participating in day camp there.  (Sidenote – this organization is inspiring, and they do incredible work)

SPOILER ALERT!

One activity in particular was a huge hit. It was called, “Human Hockey Puck.” We found some plans online that Alex and our shop wizard Bill have edited to make the perfect hovercraft. It’s essentially made out of ½ inch plywood and a leaf blower. So, students got to ride the hovercraft while their friend tried to “shoot” them into the hockey net. One student, Quinn, emphatically exclaimed, “That was the best thing in the entire universe!” We’ve heard best thing in the world, but never the whole universe.

Here’s hoping the final version of the Atrium program is even a quarter as exciting to visitors as it was to Quinn.

Carly

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At the end of the work day my husband will often pick me up to carpool home.  Often, I’m not ready to leave just yet; sometimes having to finish sending one last email, or in this case – working on the floor during the last week of Titanic.  He usually sits patiently in his truck listening to music or tidying up his paperwork.  That is, unless he knows we’re up to something big.

As I came off the floor finishing my shift; I took a look around the parking lot and noticed he wasn’t in his truck.  And so, I continued around the parking lot to our loading dock where I suspected Alex and Dana were up to something.  And something big  – Alex is testing some demonstration experiences, and today it was about exploding hydrogen balloons.  With rocket ignition.

Of course my husband is right in the middle of the action, helping to figure out the technique of ignition.  I asked how it was going, he replied, “I am SCHOOLING these two in science!”.  And under my breath, I murmured, “Well, they’re doing their job”.

Alex and Dana are not inept when it comes to science, nor were they playing dumb for my husband’s sake.  They were just doing their job well:  facilitating an experience.  Facilitating it so that my husband felt like he had viable answers, he had the opportunity to experiment and try his ideas, and all the while they were keeping the environment safe for him to test out these ideas.

Even though science demonstrations typically have a staff member displaying all the cool and dangerous tricks on stage; I have a feeling you’ll be amazed at what Alex is thinking up.  A demonstration where every bang, boom and whiz is performed by *gasp* a visitor in the audience.  Where visitors who wants to participate will have a chance to freely explore and test out their own experiments on stage.  I like to imagine the visitor who leaves the Presentation Theatre saying, “I’ve never got to do that before in my life!”.  Alex, don’t take it personally when someone proclaims they ‘were schooling you’ on the job.  It’s just a sign you’re doing a great job.

-stacey.

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The International Children’s Festival has come and gone for another year and not without it’s share of rain, imagination, more rain, building, pouring rain, fun and play, and again more rain.

It was a soaking wet week and we came prepared for an activity that can be done outside – building with PVC pipes and connectors.  Giant structures.  Not only did lots of people participate, but they did so happily in the weather.  Luckily it wasn’t too cold and so the kids had a great time building and the volunteers cheerfully helped out.  (Here’s a picture of Evelyn and Alan keeping warm and assessing the structures.)

The part I love about building like this is that it’s open ended; things can be anything you imagine.  If you ask two kids what they’re building, it could be a submarine with a tree house and the other kid helping out will say it’s a candy store with a hot tub.  And they are both right.  The part I trouble with is that it can be anything they imagine; “Boys could turn a grilled cheese sandwich into a gun“, the Festival Site Manager quipped watching a group of boys battle it out with their makeshift weapons.

The thing about gun play is that I truly believe it less about violence and more about imaginative play and understanding power.  The idea having control over being the ‘good guy’ or being a ‘bad guy’, hiding, sneaking and the thrill of being caught – it’s an all out competitive release not unlike pirates with swords, jedi knights welding a light saber, or throwing a dodge ball to tag someone out of the game.  It still makes me very uneasy as a facilitator.  I understand that some parents berate this behavior, especially if they’ve done diligence to protect their child from guns.  So then, what do I do when a mass of young boys take over in an all out battle?

Our colleague Pat has come up with a brilliant solution:  let them be good guys and bad guys.  However, before they engage in all out war they need to build their forts; their lairs, camps, and hide outs.  Excite them with the possibility of the best fort with crawl through spaces, lookout towers, back doors for sneak attacks and escape routes.  It’s a diversion tactic without having to be the real bad guy (shutting down their participation).  It worked and we had hallways and doorways, a small competition of whose then could be the tallest, collaboration of switching out connector joints to make it more stable, figuring out lengths, and how some connectors let them build only in one direction while others let them build up and out.  I’m not sure they had completely forgot about their weapons, but these boys had run out of time before they could continue the fight against each other.

-stacey.

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Its been a while since we’ve had the Prorotype Lab open, but you can still be involved.

Come to this DIY Instrument and Circuit Bending workshop this weekend at Local Library!

We’ ll be exploring the weird and wild side of DIY technology, Frankensteining beloved childhood toys and making our joints sing in a series of afternoon workshops.

The New Science Centre team will be doing a Circuit Bending drop-in program that we’re planning for the NSC. Our pal Craig Storm will be showing us how to make Light Theramins. I’ll be helping people (somehow) hack circuits to our bodies to make a giant dance piano. And there will be a free tour of Cantos at the end.

Come play and learn stuff!

This Saturday, June 4th, 1-4pm
Local Library
131 7th Ave SW. Entrance is from the alley behind the church.

-dana

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The premise:

A black tie event, bring something for teens, last 6 hours amongst 1300 guests including over 600 children.

Oh, and to make it worth your while, you must learn something about the activity and how it might run in the New Science Centre. Easy. And turns out, pretty amusing.

Being black tie everyone from the very old to the very young was in fancy dress clothes. Our usual materials of hot glue and recyclables were going to be tricky to entice participants – let alone teenagers. Instead of fighting it; join it – set up materials to make boutonnieres to wear with your black tie.

Using tissue paper, an LED and battery, participants were able to make paper flowers that were simple and yet beautiful.  We provided step-by-step instructions on an easel board – we’ve found this to be one the best strategies to facilitate multiple ages and abilities. Older participants can read and follow them on their own, and parents can read along and help younger children if the facilitator is busy helping those who are literally ‘dropped off.’  Labeled baskets hold smaller and specific materials. It helps to have enough baskets of repeated materials within arms reach of any walk up spot on the table:

The activity has all of the elements that normally appeal to a teen:  style, fashion, choice, technology, and the ability to work with friends. It also appeals very well to the average nine-year-old girl. So much in fact that, we barely saw teens at all – I imagine their thought process was, “Hey look, a batting cage, spray on tattoos, and oh.  Never mind, this isn’t for us.”

Fine. Teens didn’t do the activity and now we know things that look like ‘arts & crafts’ will appeal to those that love arts & crafts on a daily basis.

Also, a floor program should run no longer than 2 hours. After this point, everyone who wants to do the activity has done it and anyone who liked it stays and uses up materials by making one for their friends, mothers, brothers, and long lost pen pals. We knew going in that were to be there for 6 hours – but it was very clear that after 2 hours, we had seen everyone that was interested.

Highlights of the Night:

Three eleven-year-old boys came up and proclaimed, “We NEED to make some flowers!  We’re going to give them to the girls so they’ll dance with us.”  I had a laugh and helped them refine their skills to make ‘good ones.’  I was impressed they asked for help and spent time until they were satisfied with the result.

A girl returning: after asking what happened to her flowers she said, “My mother stole it she like so much.  I came to make another so I could have one too.”  We saw many parents (moms and dads) not only helping, but curious in owning one as well.

The LED’s were super successful. After we ran out of batteries, the activity was still OK but everyone still wanted to make them light up. A lot of parents commented how easy, entertaining and beautiful the flowers were – many mentioned that they wanted to recreate this as a birthday party activity.

Wishes:

No one iterated on the design. With teens, I was hoping that once they got the general materials figured out they would create new flower shapes. Our younger audience was appreciative of the praise they got from the first one; they just repeated it again and again.

Children younger than 5 had a difficult time with the dexterity required. Parents took over and were frustrated that they were doing all the work while their child didn’t pay attention.

Otherwise I would say overall successful.  We spent less than $100 for six hours worth of core materials and saw over 600 children!  And thanks to the clowns we were able to get a little silly too:

- Stacey.

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