2017 SRP - week 3

For every week of physical building we make a correlation with a less tangible thing that when created/invented contributed to a better world. During our egg drop challenge we mentioned life preservers, airbags etc.

Can a child keep an egg safe from all harm? Even when an adult drops it from a 9 foot ladder?
We learned our lesson and spread plastic tablecloths over our floor before giving eggs to children.

We simply do not have many pictures of our adventures this week. We grabbed everything we could think of from our supply cupboards to give the children a variety of options. Rebecca set up the ladder in the City Auditorium parking lot. We did spread a table cloth on the ground to make clean-up easier.

Survival rates varied. All enjoyed the challenge.

Funny story: Outside, when children were lining up to have their egg tested by the drop, one little girl asked us to drop an egg with no protection. Just an egg. To see what would happen. We did. It broke.

2017 SRP - week 2

Our theme Build a Better World leaves us with many options. We chose for week two to focus on a physical building challenge. Construct a structure using marshmallows, toothpicks and straws.

A lot less prep this week. Rebecca separated our supplies into equal parts for every team. We wrapped our Louis L'Amour titles in waxed paper to provide equal bases for structures.

Each team was challenged to build a structure spanning from one stack of Louis L'Amour to another.

Our only problem was running out of time when a structure refused to collapse during our weight test. We ran out of rubber aliens and legos to weigh down the egg carton.

We had intended to give the children time to 'free build' from their own imaginations. We sent them home with a punching balloon printed to look like a globe.

2017 SRP - week 1

Play-dough
yes, play-dough
in the library
over 30 children under 15 years of age MAKING play-dough inside my library
I am crazy.
We picked a simple recipe: flour, salt, water, oil, food coloring

We (Intern Rebecca) pre-measured the salt into bowls. Each child measured their flour from ice cream buckets into their bowl. I added oil, not allowing children to touch the greasy substance.(While I am undoubtedly crazy, I am not stupid.) A few drops of food coloring and children began mixing with their hands.
 
Many of them had to make adjustments ( more flour, more water ) but everyone had workable playdough after several minutes of kneading.

We talked through each step in our prep work. What containers we would use to serve the ingredients, what order they should be added, measurements of ingredients... you get the idea. Covering the tables with wax paper was dumb :) Our tables are wipe-able. The carpet is not.
With all of our experience and planning, we still did not think of everything.

 Long story short: 1.5 hours of clean-up. We survived.