Session 2, Week 1
A new session means new quests, new goals, and a fresh batch of adventures, and this week the heroes launched into all of it. Some of those adventures are cosmic: a Fire Studio that has become a galactic travel agency, and a DELTA Studio building robots to rescue astronauts on Mars. Others are down to earth, with paint, ducks, ponies, and plenty of games along the way. Here are the highlights from the first week of Session 2.
IN the spark studio
The Spark Studio is focusing on art this session.
Heroes started the week mixing secondary colors, then tried a wet-on-wet watercolor technique. Because of the rainy weather, they also used the wet-on-wet technique with chalk outside! Heroes were then introduced to Mo Willems, author and illustrator of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and transformed a letter from their name into a work of art.
Heroes finished the week with a field trip to the Mackelprang home, where they explored the unique whimsical gardens, fed the ducks, brushed a pony, and made flower wands.
In the fire studio
The Fire Studio is making a fresh start with the CHOICE Magic App. In Session 1, some heroes used the Magic App and other heroes preferred to use a paper checklist to help guide their silent core skills choices. In Session 2, the hope is for all heroes to become comfortable using the Magic App to help them organize their core skills time and track their progress. All heroes logged in this week and began using the app, with support from running partners and squad leaders who are more experienced with the program. On Mondays, heroes will meet as squads to show accountability for the previous week’s goals. Heroes who have completed all of the goals from the week before by Monday’s squad meeting can add a gem to the studio gem bank, hopefully earning a gem party before the end of the session!
The first week of each session is always filled with fun games and activities, including running partner discovery and squad corners. Heroes helped their running partner navigate an obstacle course blindfolded, worked as a team to “clean” their section of the gym, and played “chopsticks” as a squad to determine who would pick their squad corner first.
Each of these games taught them something different: trust, teamwork, strategy, and ingenuity. Games are one of the ways heroes learn and develop interpersonal skills together. During this session, heroes will also be playing a game to deepen their relationships and create a more unified culture in their studio. Heroes were invited to play with a different hero at lunch for 20 minutes until they have played with every hero in the studio. Each hero who completes this challenge will be eligible to participate in crate-stacking near the end of the session!
This week in quest, the Fire Studio was contacted by Zorblings, aliens from the Glimmer Galaxy! They are coming to visit planet Earth in just 5 weeks, and every one of them has requested a tour guide. The studio has become a galactic travel agency, and its first mission is to become experts on the solar system, which involved many challenges, some model planet building…
…and a really fun trip to the Clark Planetarium.
Heroes have been diligently learning and researching so they can be ready to welcome the Zorblings!
In this quest to become tour guides, heroes are learning about explorers and models. Some models are three dimensional, some are two dimensional, some are stationary, some can move, some are to scale and some are not.
Each kind of model has advantages and disadvantages, and we can improve them as we gather more evidence. For example, people used to support an earth centered model of the solar system. But in 1610, Galileo was the first to observe Jupiter’s moons, which provided evidence for Copernicus’s model of a sun centered solar system. Like Galileo, heroes are trying to be curious explorers who create and improve their own models.
IN the delta studio
The DELTA Studio used its jolliness time for the Constitution bee during Session 1, so this week was the first official jolliness (a weekly focus on social and emotional wellness). Heroes discussed vulnerability: the why, the what, and the how. Jolliness is split into three hero groups, and different discussions land differently with different groups. The discussion that was predominantly boys was incredible. The willingness to be vulnerable and the support they showed each other was so far beyond what most people would expect from middle school boys. It was an honor to get to be in that discussion with them.
Another highlight of the week was simply watching heroes play at lunch, where volleyball is the trend right now.
In an effort to level up Socratic discussions and give DELTA heroes an opportunity to decide what they want to become extraordinary in, the studio also started a new “opt in” Wednesday morning Socratic discussion. Heroes are given the topic on Monday, and whoever is interested in discussing it joins in while others work on Core Skills. This week’s discussion was on banning social media for teens.
Heroes are also starting into new ExWorks this session. The Beginning Cooking ExWork begins with knife skills, and a few heroes were excited to share what they learned with their studio.
DELTA also got off to a great start with Robotics Quest. The theme is “Mars Mayhem,” and heroes build robots to rescue Mars astronauts from various situations. Some heroes are using VEX kits and others are using Arduino based kits, and all are learning what goes into making an effective robot.
Game Time
Instead of Treasure Hunts, this year heroes participate in a weekly “Games with Ben” time, a chance to let loose for an extra few minutes and even win some prizes. The Spark Studio enjoyed their balloon game, while the Fire Studio embraced the chaos of the “Clean Up Your Room” game. DELTA heroes made “Tumble Birds,” and a few heroes were able to make them fly for a long time.
One week into Session 2, heroes have mixed colors, learned a new way to track their goals, prepared to welcome visitors from the Glimmer Galaxy, and started building robots to rescue astronauts. They also made plenty of time for games, lunchtime volleyball, and new friendships. The quests are only getting started, and we’re looking forward to seeing what heroes discover next.