Week 2: Authentic Experiences Are So Important!

One of the things that I love most about working with children is watching the amazing things that they can create and accomplish when given the opportunity to work with their hands.

This past summer, inspired by my son's daycare classroom where the children built picture frames with real wood, saws, clamps, hammers, and nails, I decided to create and implement a one-week camp dedicated to construction. Construction Camp was open to campers between the ages of 5-13 and featured various small-scale building materials including Lego's, Magna-Tiles, PVC pipes, bricks, wood, plaster of paris, wire, and toothpicks. In addition, the campers spent up to two hours each day building a full-scale play structure; this was the highlight of the camp! The campers helped to determine the design, draw the blue print, measure and cut the wood, drill the holes, hammer the nails, and place the screws. In the span of a week, 36 campers built the play structure below. They, along with their parents, were proud beyond words.

My son and the construction supervisor drill guide holes- note the appropriate safety gloves and goggles!

Testing out the second floor. The campers later personalized the structure with paint and decorations.