Since Ryan and I are now half way through our summer adventure as Destination Imagination Air Force Base Camp Counselors, I thought it would be a good time to look back and reflect on what's happened so far, the struggles we've faced, and how we've overcome them.
When I left training at DI Head Quarters about 2 months ago, I was so pumped and eager to jump into my first week of camps. However, after day 1 of our first week we realized that we were in for the biggest learning experience of our lives. That first week was a HUGE struggle. After those first few days all I could think was, "Oh my gosh... CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT... HELP!!!" So after many phone conferences with my AMAZING teacher parents, Ryan and I were able to combine their ideas and past experiences with our own experiences and come up with a solid lesson plan that has worked wonders. So, here's what we've come up with over the past few weeks!
PRE-TEACHING!!!! We start day 1 off every week with an introduction to camp. We have the kids help us make a target or anchor chart of what they think is important to make the week successful and fun for everyone. Each day if kids come up with new things to add to the target they grab a marker and write it on. The target is hung in the front of the room so that we can always refer back to it.
Throughout the week we also award teamwork points to teams. When we see something outstanding happen on a team, we point it out and allow that team to mark how ever many points we award under their team color. They LOVE this!!!
This week we implemented a "team contract." We had a team that had a very bossy team member who prevented the team from having any fun and from getting anything done. So I had them create a team contract that they all had to sign and it was amazing! They all ended on a great note today!!
These are just a few of the strategies that help create a fun and safe learning environment where everyone has a successful week. My favorite part is seeing the growth the kids make from only Monday to Friday! We have them draw pictures on Friday of what DI camp meant to them. Here are a couple from this week.
This is by Shannon- 10 years old
This is Ronald's. He's 9
Here are a few other great pictures from the week!
Green Team! They were so proud of their Wallercoaster!
Half of the Red team. Please note that one of their teammates is in the newspaper building!
The Blue team!! This old man is "old wonder man". He's a super hero!
Seeing all these smiles and watching each kid unfold as the week goes on has been unbelievably rewarding!!
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