Tuesday Attention and Focus Speedbump

The second day of Summer Day Camp is usually a lot to process. 

On day one, Tinkerers are learning each other's names. They are learning the tools. They are learning about our routines and the space we'll build in. Most everything is new, and it takes the whole day to process. And then, (THEN!) they get to learn what the project is and start to design and build it.

Day two, however, is much different.

We circle up, build for two hours, circle up, reset, park and lunch, circle up and then, build again for two hours. Day two is the first day of this sequence, and figuring out to maintain attention and focus to build for two separate two-hour sessions is a lot to process. 

I mean, do any of us do anything continuously for two whole hours anymore? I'm hard pressed to think of many things that I do everyday for two hours. On that short list, however, is building with Tinkerers and helping Tinkerers figure out how to self motivate during these sessions. 

In the afternoon sunlight, the bridge team works together to assemble the eight-foot towers that will eventually support our suspension bridge. 

Yesterday, the morning and afternoon sessions were filled with Tinkerers working really hard for short bursts, and then walking away to have snack or chat with friends or sort screws or wood scraps. This ebb and flow of attention is normal though, and so very necessary. The down time is needed for Tinkerers to figure out and process the combination of intensely kinesthetic activity and super conceptual design prompts they've been taxed with. 

Devon cuts down some plywood triangles to help brace the corners of the vehicle. 

All hands on deck... err, truck bed... for clamping and assembling a place for the vehicle to store our shipping container. 

And this morning, with 8+ hours time away from their projects, I think our Wednesday session will ramp up and flow quite nicely. 

We might even finish one of the projects today!