After a day of creativity our campers still had the energy for some night activities. Their writing and acting talents were put to the test during a performance of Fractured Fairy Tales. Very impressive results for limited preparation time! I am trying to capture everyone on film, but some of our students are a little elusive and camera shy…
So you take a feathery local species, like a Tawny Frogmouth, you mix in a crime scene, some suspects, plenty of hands on investigating and SHAZAM, you have yourselves an outdoor, eco-mystery challenge that never fails to grip primary age students.
Our Eco Mystery day – ‘The Tawny Tragedy‘ is one of our most engaging programs. Students eyes widen when they arrive at Brewongle to discover a crime scene complete with police tape and the chalk outline of the victim.
After reading the police report and discovering the food, water and shelter needs of the Tawny Frogmouth, the investigations begin.
Our ponds will be scoured for water bugs and tadpoles – are there are any water quality issues that may have killed Tawny? The forest and house areas are tested for health and possible food contaminents.
Weeds, feral animal prints and a habitat assessment will round out the day of mystery solving. Students are left to ruminate on their evidence and decide on a cause of death. A forensic police report arrives hot off the fax. Recommendations are sought by Brewongle staff to prevent this occurring in the future.
Could you replicate something like this in your school if you can’t visit us or your nearest Environmental Education Centre? This program is a fantastic example of engaging students in the outdoors. Students are required to use higher order thinking, problem solving and creativity skills. Literacy and numeracy are embedded and students emerge with knowledge and understanding of how an ecosystem works. Of course it also has all the syllabus links needed to fit in to the Australian Curriculum. Thanks to Barnier Public School for solving the crime!
Today is author day! Deborah Abela, James Roy, Suzanne Gervay and our writer in residence Simon French join us today to pass on their genius and help our young writers on their literary journey.
Camp Diary, Thursday 4th September 2014
9.45 am: I am sitting now with the inspiring and dynamic Deborah Abela and she is making a cake…. Well she is using cake making as an analogy for writing. The key ingredients being characters, a setting and plenty of disasters to befall them. The students are right now deciding on mega problems to befall their characters. So far we have had suggestions of the room catching fire, spiders falling from the roof and Deborah Abela turning evil. Character development is crucial and Deborah uses the mantra “show, not tell”. Show the layers of your character through the narrative, and avoid telling of their traits directly. The students are now having to develop a clumsy fairy character without using the words ‘fairy’ or ‘clumsy’!
Grimsdon is Deborah’s environmental novel born out of frustration at global governments and the massive knights helmets used to protect London from flooding. Love it!
11.30am: What a recess we just had! James produced his ukelele and my guitar ended up in the hands of some very talented students and music was born! Nice work Kara and Charlotte and the chorus line of everybody else who sang Riptide by Vance Joy beautifully!
11.45 am: I am now sitting with James Roy and about 15 students discussing our favourite pixar films. James has a fantastic ability to engage students and make them laugh. Pixar have 22 rules of storytelling that James thinks are pretty darn good. He just shared a very short story/joke that evoked a giggle in everyone. “Dwarf shortage.” Politically correct? Probably not.
James has distributed some story starters – here is a selection that will trigger emotions.
“I bought the coolest phone on the planet – but it still only rings as often as my old phone did.”
“I have a few unusual talents that I keep hidden because it makes me uncomfortable to stand out in a crowd.”
I’m still in love with her. I hope she reads this, and recognises my handwriting. This is also my last try.”
1.45pm: In the old classroom with a crackling fire and the marvelous Suzanne Gervay. Suzanne has been with the writers camp since the beginning all those years ago and is still as emotive, dynamic and caring as always. She has suggested that we should make a plaque in her honour…. next year Suzanne!
Suzanne has a way of including and engaging all students in her presence and empowering them to be creative. I have been so impressed with the insights and depth of thinking from all the students and Suzanne has managed to bring out even more of that in the young people present. Suzanne believes that stories need to be real and have heart. Her series of ‘Jack’ books embody this. She is pretty chuffed with herself that she has just finished the 4th and final Jack book. The Jack books will also be made into a television series. Very cool and brilliant news for readers!
She is exploring what really matters to all of us right now and we have hit on bullying and the power struggles that go on in the school playground and the global playground – many of which are causing some of us to fear and despair. These are the topics that Suzanne wants us to write about. The topics that really matter and that we care about, topics that reach into the core of your beliefs and thinking and require risk to write.
48 budding young authors have descended on Brewongle for 3 days of creativity and fun. Schools have sent their best literary types to meet famous authors, complete writing workshops, write aplenty and enjoy the usual array of awesome camp activities.
As I am feeling distinctly average as a wordsmith amongst this fine company, today I will post a photo journal. I may post some of the writing that emerges from the students over the following days.
We were lucky to pay a visit to an inspirational primary school in the Newcastle area this week as part of our annual Environmental and Zoo Education Centres Conference. Hamilton Public School has set a new standard for me in sustainability, creativity, care, enthusiasm and love for their local environment. We were mightily impressed with the tour we were given by the ‘Green Team’ of year 6 students. These kids were passionate, enthusiastic, eloquent and knowledgeable on all the cool stuff they had created around their school.
The school obviously has motivated teachers, students and parents who have put a lot of love into making the school a sustainable and beautiful place to attend.
Every initiative was a fantastic teaching tool in itself, with creative and unique use of signs, art and recycled objects. I have posted this slideshow of images to inspire us all to embark on similar ideas in our own schools and workplaces. Hover your mouse over most images online for a brief description.
A big thankyou to the students and staff of Hamilton PS for hosting us for a morning!
What an inspirational three days we had with a creative and intelligent group of students from various schools who attended our 2013 Writers in the Environment Camp. This invitational program has been running for the last 16 years here at Brewongle and year 6 students immerse themselves over three days in all things literary and writing. We were very lucky to again have our writer in residence Simon French here for three days, as well as other children’s authors Lisa Forrest, Susanne Gervay and Richard Tulloch running workshops for a day.
We are awaiting some student stories that were begun on camp and when they come to hand we will publish them!
Enjoy the slideshow above – you may need to view this online – just click on the blog post to go to the website.
Here are two collaborative short stories created by our young writers from camp. These were facilitated by writer Lisa Forrest in her workshop. Enjoy!
Story One
I grabbed a giant saucepan, a packet of rubber bands and a dozen eggs and threw them into the shopping trolley as I barged down the aisle knocking other shoppers trolleys out of my way. ‘Cant you see there’s a battle outside in the car park! Move! My friend’s in trouble!’I spotted a metal salad bowl and put it on my head, hoping that it would protect me from the alien’s guns. On my way out I picked up a box diet coke and a mentos and threw them in.
‘This is for the freedom of humanity,’I screamed as I ripped open the box of diet coke, pulled one can out as others clattered to the pavement, bit down on a packet of mentos, stuffed one in a can and hurled it like a grenade at the gooey bluey orange blobs on hover boards, who were attacking Bob by firing chickens wearing badges that said EVIL INC in capital letters.
And then KABOOM,
Diet coke rained down on everything in the car park. Perhaps it was the artificial sweetener that caused the chickens to lay chocolate eggs. Without thinking, I opened the packet of rubber bands, took one out, opened the crate of eggs and started firing them on the aliens. The eggs stuck to the blobs and began to fry on contact. I watched as the aliens disintegrated in front of my eyes.
‘You go girl,’ Bob shrieked.
Story 2
BOOOOOOM!!!
Kate dropped the carton of eggs. She whipped around and saw small, blue, fuzzy, brutish creatures swarm all over an upturned car in the car park. “How have I got myself into this! I will never get this cake made for Mum” She groaned.
Kate saw Millicent the fairy fly into the air, turn her bottom to face the aliens, the air vibrated, the building shook and clutching their noses the aliens were forced back.
“Did she fart?” Kate muttered. All around her people dropped from the smell. Kate had learned in history that when the Nazi’s dropped their gas bombs the allied forces had urinated into napkins and wrapped them around their faces to counter the effects of the bomb. Kate didn’t want to drop her pants in front of security cameras so instead she grabbed a bottle of vinegar, found a tea towel, doused it in vinegar and wrapped it around her face like a ninja. As the sound of cows mooing came from outside she ran up and down the aisles grabbing steak knives, a broom, matches, eggs – anything she could find – and charged through the doors shouting: “Follow me on Facebook!!!”
Hundreds of blue fuzzy brutish creatures turned and faced her. Their eyes turned rainbow with hatred.
“How dare you insult our leader. You must be a One Direction fan.”
The aliens lifted their guns and fired. Pink and purple cows shot out from the barrels towards Kate. But before thy hit, Kate heard a thunderous noise.
“Beware my butt fury!” Millicent cried.
Brewongle Environmental Education Centre 