Session D: Day 1 and 2 - Hello's, Noodle Ninja, Benches
Day 1
Day one of camp is really just a quarter-day. Not to much tinkering happens, but lots of other things do. Everyone moves in. We lay our rules, expectations, guidelines and more. There is a tour, some getting to know each other games, name challenges, and noodle ninja. Then we get our first camp meal, learn about clean up crews, and end the night with a hike until sunset. On this particular first day, our after-dinner discussions where so riveting that we almost missed our hike entirely!
Noodle ninja involves a single, blindfolded ninja in the center. Everyone else has to try and sneak toward them, touch them, and get away all without getting hit. The noodle ninja is trying to whack people without getting hit. It’s almost too much fun.
At the end of day one we eat some snacks, brush our teeth, get cozy for bed and pass out. Tomorrow is the first full day of camp.
Day 2
Day two of camp is an entirely different beast. We get a few fats and carbs in our bellies, break into groups and start tool training. Chop-saw for utility and safety, drills for proper form, and clamps for ninja-level empowerment and precision.
Once the group has a sense of the different tools and materials, we start our first challenge; benches. We have fire pit, but around our fire pit there is no good place to sit, so we have to build our own seats.
Halfway through building we end p breaking for lunch. One of our visitors today also happens to be a magician. Magic is like tinkering that makes deception and whimsey primary goals. We love magic at Tinkering School, especially the deceptive but potentially reverse-engineer-able kind. It gets the brain flowing, the kids asking “how?” and the staff laughing. Bob put on a heck of a show, even taught us a cool trick, and left us wondering about the rest.
Back to benches.
So far this year benches have looked a lot like one might imagine arms races look. Each session hears about the accomplishments of the last, and up the ante. This week is no different. With a swinging bench, a well shaded canopy on another bench, a rope back rest, and a curving bench with adjustable back rest, our fire pit is the coziest it has ever been.
Take a peak at the photos below to see them.
Tomorrow we announce the primary project and the teams this week.
