Thanks to Tyson, Mimi’s teacher and my colleague, for sharing this cool clip of Cardboard Challenge Day.
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Author Archives: Lana
A Fine Dessert = A Fine Discussion
In avoiding preparation for Saturday’s Presentation in Taipei, I have gone back down the rabbit-hole of discussion after discussion, post after post and tweet after tweet regarding Sophie Blackall and Emily Jenkin’s A Fine Dessert.
I have A Fine Dessert on display as a contender for the 2016 Caldecott Medal; in good company with posts like these from Mr. Schu (Scholastic Ambassador for School Libraries), and here on the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2015.
I’ve enjoyed commentary from other reputable sources such as NPR and as always read through the comments after; with a mixture of those commenters agreeing with NPR’s heading of the book having either “award buzz” or “whitewashing slavery”. Reading posts here on Debbie Reese’s blog, led me down another interesting path that I recommend you all check out. Debbie posted a letter from Emily on October 29th;
This is Emily Jenkins. I like the Reading While White blog and have been reading it since inception. As the author of A Fine Dessert, I have read this discussion and the others with care and attention. I have come to understand that my book, while intended to be inclusive and truthful and hopeful, is racially insensitive. I own that and am very sorry. For lack of a better way to make reparations, I donated the fee I earned for writing the book to We Need Diverse Books.
After following the conversations and drama this book has stirred, and after reading this great post over at Library Girl’s blog just this morning, I know that more needs to be done with this beautiful book than just put it on display. Library Girl references Sandra Hughes-Hassel who “advocates for using book displays as an opportunity to affect social justice.” If I only displayed the book, I’d remain at Level 1; Addiditive Approach, whereas there are two more levels I should be seeing; Level 2; The Transformative Approach, or better still, Level 3; The Social Action Approach where I would be “taking action to educate others about why these texts are necessary.”
I’d already read A Fine Dessert to students in Grades 2,3 and 4…I will now read it through a more thoughtful lens; admiring it for not only it’s beauty, but also for the discussion it will promote, and the learning it will encourage.
Everything you need to know about CC
In 2012, a chance encounter between a filmmaker and a nine-year-old entrepreneur sparked a worldwide movement celebrating creativity, play and the power of imagination.
Inspired by the short film, ‘Caine’s Arcade’, the Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event presented by the Imagination Foundation that celebrates child creativity and the role communities can play in fostering it.
Here is the Caine’s Arcade video that triggered the creation of the Imagination Foundation; they then founded the Global Cardboard Challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul9c-4dX4Hk&feature=youtu.be NB you will need a VPN to watch most of these clips if you are in China.
Please read more about the Global Cardboard Challenge and the Imagination Foundation here. http://imagination.org/our-projects/cardboard-challenge/
You can also watch the very first Caine’s Arcade video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U&feature=youtu.be
Finally, here is the TedxTeen talk Caine did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRCrAT1YcTo&feature=youtu.be
Why aren’t I allowed to take my creation home?
The short answer… because I said so. Are you ready for the long answer?
We want you to focus on having fun, creating something original and using your imagination for its own sake, not for the sake of the end product.
We would love you to collaborate with others; maybe one friend, maybe someone you’ve never worked with before, perhaps a group of friends will work on something together or maybe you’ll create something on your own… possibly a combination of all of the above; you have time to play.
We don’t want people arguing or getting upset about who made what and who gets to keep what and we think if you are given the chance for that to happen, it will happen.
There is NOT room on our school buses for many of the creations; it is not fair for some to take it home and not others, so we are just saying NO.
If you are desperately sad to part with what you have created here are some options for you.
1. Take a photo or get a parent, teacher or friend to take one for you, Mrs. Hossack will be taking photos all day long, so ask her to snap one for you.
2. If it is something that either JUST you worked on, or only students from your class, and it is NOT enormous, ask your teacher if you can keep it in your classroom for a little while.
3. Do it again… it may be even better second time around… invite some friends over and have your own Cardboard Challenge. If you love what you do on the day of the cardboard challenge, go home and keep creating… that is the joy of creating with your imagination, and limited, re-useable and recyclable materials.
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS
We need you on October 9th if you are available to come in and help us during our Global Cardboard Challenge.The best time to come in would be in the morning, as we will kick off with a brief assembly in the Auditorium first thing.We then require you to help cut/paste/glue/staple/cheer/encourage/supervise/enjoy watching your children create in this amazing hands on event.
Students will be working together in grade levels and we are hopeful for a rain free day!
If you think you can be of assistance in any of the above ways, please contact your child/children’s homeroom teachers and let them know you are ready to help. The ‘making’ part of the day should be over by lunchtime, so then you could have lunch with your child if you wish… in the afternoon, we move on to playing/showing off creations and the all important CLEAN UP, where your help would really be appreciated.
Thanks, and please contact kimbra.power@saschina.org if you have any questions
Power of Creative Play
Give a child a cardboard box and some inspiration and imagination comes to life. We call this Creative Play, and fueling it is one of the most important thing we can do to prepare children for the future. It develops valuable 21st century skills and prepares kids to be next-generation innovators.
4 more
Four more sleeps people… I’m sorting cardboard in my sleep!
OK… nuts and bolts
Before the Day
*Students should be bringing in any and all clean cardboard; dropping it in appropriate marked boxes outside the library.
*Gather and label (if you are serious about getting things back) any classroom supplies like markers/pencils/scissors etc. Many tools will be provided-(see below) but feel free to provide glitter/stickers etc if you are that way inclined. (NO hot glue guns-NO paint)
*Tell your students they MUST WEAR THEIR HOUSE-SHIRTS on Friday (looks great for photos)
*All ES and MS teachers will be told where they should be, and when, and with who (or is it whom?) by Wednesday 3 pm.
On the Day
*If students bring in cardboard on Friday October 9th, keep it with you to take to your creative space later that morning
*Once bags are unpacked and attendance taken, please bring your students straight to the Auditorium where we will have a pep talk and show a 7 minute clip of last years event. We aim to start at 8.10 and be out of there by 8.30.
*Move to your creative space where there will be baskets of tape/scissors/exacto knives/string
*Students will attend regular recess/snack/lunch times as usual and create right up ’til they go to lunch/recess (at least)
*Information on after lunch… stay tuned.
And so it begins…
There was movement in the hallway for the word had passed around, that the Cardboard Challenge had got underway…
Well, we have over 2,000 individual small cardboard items brought in by Prek-5th grade so far and the hallways are buzzing with the sound of ” who is winning?”
The truth is, we are all winners when our administration allows our children a full day of play, and these two weeks of our cardboard collection competition are just that, a chance to collect the cardboard, providing the incentive of a few little prizes for the kids who bring in the most. We are all really looking forward to October 9th, when we celebrate the imagination of our children who were so impressed when they learned about Caine’s Arcade and the Imagination Foundation.
Don’t forget to keep your eyes open for interesting cardboard over October Break, and have a wonderful, safe holiday.
Nitty Gritty Low Down
1. Cardboard Challenge is on Friday October 9th (one month away, but only FIFTEEN school days away)
2. Students should be collecting and keeping EVERYTHING cardboard NOW!
Check out how much fun we had last year…
3. Students should bring in as much SMALL cardboard as possible next week, a 4 day week (SMALL is ANYTHING that will fit into an A4 photocopy box, e.g. toothpaste/granola/tissue/cereal/shoe boxes, toilet rolls, saran wrap/foil rolls)
This year, we will have three teams competing to collect the most cardboard.
PreK, 4th grade
K, 1st grade, 5th grade
2nd grade, 3rd grade
4. Between September 21st and 25th students will drop off their SMALL cardboard items in the labeled boxes outside the ES Library by 9 am
(At 9 am, cardboard will be counted, and a Daily Tally will be kept of the number of individual cardboard items submitted per team, a winning team will be announced at the end of the week, each member of that team will win a small prize)
4.a Students should collect as much big AND small cardboard over October Break
5. Between October 5th and 8th students will drop off ANY cardboard items in the labeled boxes outside the ES Library
(At 9 am, cardboard will be counted, and a Daily Tally will be kept of the number of individual cardboard items submitted per team, a winning team will be announced at the end of the week, each member of that team will win a small prize)
6. Global Cardboard Challenge is on Friday October 9th, stay tuned for more details about what the day will look like.
Toilet Roll winners 3ED
Cereal Boxes
Shoe Boxes
One Month to Go…the Countdown begins
Today we kick off the one month countdown to our Cardboard Challenge, being held on October 9th this year. Check out last year’s cardboard challenge here, thanks to Mr. Neill; we certainly had a lot of fun.
Below is an approximate schedule of what to expect in the weeks leading to the event.
From now-September 14th-we are all promoting the event, asking children and parents to start collecting things in their home, community or even parents workplace (e.g. ask colleagues to save their toilet rolls/tissue boxes etc)
September 15th-September 18th-Students bring small cardboard items into their classrooms, such as cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, shoe boxes, granola boxes, tissue boxes etc
Weekly Challenge No 1- September 21st-September 25th
This year we are putting different grade levels together to collect materials. Grade Level Competitions to contribute the most small items into the boxes set up outside the ES Library, there will be giant boxes for these grade groupings:
Pre K and 4th Grade
K, 1st and 5th Grade
2nd and 3rd Grade
Between September 21st and September 25th, students will drop off their small cardboard items such as cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, shoe boxes, granola boxes, tissue boxes in the giant boxes outside the library.
Each Day at 9 am, the items collected will be counted, and a running tally displayed on the wall. The Group with the most items contributed by Friday 9 am will be the winner and a small prize will be given to each student.
Weekly Challenge No 2- October 5-8th
Stay tuned for details
Friday October 9th
Global Cardboard Challenge
Stay tuned for details
If you’d like to know more about the origins of this challenge, have a look at the Imagination Foundation website here.
While this is an All Elementary Event, we also have an increasing number of helpers and participants from the Middle and High school which adds to the fun and great community feel. Parents and community members are not just welcome, but necessary, so please please e mail me at kimbra.power@saschina.org if you’d like to come along.
September is here!
WELCOME students to our amazing Elementary Library…
This really is one of the best libraries you may ever enter… in the world. We have a huge collection for you, of over 30,000 titles, and our ES Library in Pudong is the smallest of the four libraries at Shanghai American School, which by the way, contains THE largest English book collection in ALL of China. So you will never have to say you can’t find something to read while you are a student at SAS.
Magazines in the library
Fun times in 3rd grade
Rex loves Sluggers
Our technology resources are growing all the time; we currently have 60 kindles, 60 ipod nano’s and 11 ipads all loaded with books, (some kindles have over 150 books on them) so there is no shortage of new reading material available. If there is a book you want to read, and we don’t have it in our Pudong Elementary library, check destiny to see if we have it somewhere else, like Middle School, or Puxi Campus. If you can’t find it there, let me know and I’ll order it for next year, as well as buying on kindle, audio or ibooks if it is available.
Students, please return your library books AS you finish them; do not wait until your library day to return books. Please return your books to your classroom library basket, OR to the plastic tub that will be in the main hallway as you enter school in the morning, by the back library door. We are NOT allowing you into the library before school at all. You are allowed 14 days for each book checked out, and one library cycle for technology, however, if you finish early, please return your item.
Students, this year we are making a real effort to use shelf markers in the library. You must pick up a shelf marker as soon as my mini-lesson is over, you must keep it in your hand as you walk through the library, using it to mark the place where you choose books from the shelf. You are not allowed to check out your books unless you have your shelf marker in your hand to return to Ms Stella and Ms Joji.
VOICES OFF IN THE LOFT
Students, when you go upstairs to the reading loft, you need your shoes, and your voices OFF up there… remember it is for the students who just HAVE to read RIGHT NOW, and FINISH their AMAZING book… or they won’t be able to stand it!
My happy face when you are quiet in the loft…
Guidelines for Check Out
EVERY student in Elementary must check out at least ONE non-fiction book each check out period.
Pre K-1st Grade you are to check out up to 5 books at a time. We’d like you to always check out ONE non-fiction book (at least). You are also allowed to check out one magazine or one DVD too, as well as fiction books in the Primary Library.
Grade 2-Grade 5 students, you guys can have UNLIMITED check-out privileges; so use your common sense and make sure you don’t check out more books than you can read.
Grade 2-Grade 5 students, like I said, your check out is unlimited, within that, you can check out a maximum of:
1 Graphic Novel
2 DVD’s
3 Books in a Series
Digital Check-Out
We will begin checking out technology after September 14th long weekend.
IPAD’s – one per class for fourth and fifth grade. These Ipad’s don’t have games on them, and you cannot take photos on them. They are full of books in the ibooks app, there is something here for everyone and the Ipad is a great way to read, with lovely interface and print.
IPOD’S-are available for third-fifth grade students on a first come first serve basis with a maximum of FOUR being checked out per class. The Ipod’s don’t have games on them, and we don’t want you putting your own games or music on them, they are for you to use on the bus, and at home, and have over 100 books on them.
KINDLES-are available for third-fifth grade students on a first come first serve basis with a maximum of FOUR being checked out per class. The Kindles are divided into TEN different accounts, so you need to check the front windows in the library to see what each set of kindles have on them, for example, Kindle number ones may have the Hunger Games series, but Kindle number fives don’t. We update the kindles regularly, tell me what NEW books you would like and we will do our best to upload them for you.
Kindle Instructions are on video here
Lunch-Recess Time Library Visits
Monday and Wednesday-Grades 2 and 4 are allowed to check out in the library during their lunch recess time. If the day is too hot/wet/polluted you are welcome to stay and read. If the day is fine, we’ll send you out to play once you’ve checked out your books.
Tuesday and Thursday-Grades 3 and 5 are allowed to check out in the library during their lunch recess time. If the day is too hot/wet/polluted you are welcome to stay and read. If the day is fine, we’ll send you out to play once you’ve checked out your books.
I can’t wait to greet you all in the library, with over 2,000 new books, bringing our collection to over 30,000 items, there really is something in our library for everyone!
I Like a Buzzing Library
I like a buzzing library
A library full of kids
Hanging from the rafters
Juggling laptop lids
I like a busy library
Bulging at the seams
Can I find a book for you?
On what migration means
I like a happy library
With humor, fun and games
Staff will find out what you want
And learn all of your names
I like a techy library
Podcasts and E books
Movies made of great book talks
Leave you on tender-hooks
I like a cozy library,
Cushions, bags of beans
Throw rugs and some comfy chairs
Lead you to your dreams
I love a ‘Kimbra Library’
I’ve wanted one for years
With Kimbra here and Kimbra there
Hearing all your cheers
A Kimbra who is passionate that reading is such fun
A Kimbra finding just right books for each and every one
A Kimbra who has studied hard to fine-tune what she knows
A Kimbra watching all the kids, as their knowledge grows
the barefoot librarian 