That’s March Done

Posted on March 28, 2025 by kimbra power

I looked up the phrase “In like a lion, out like a lamb” as having heard it many times, I wanted to learn more as March here in the library really was something; certainly more lion than lamb . Like many proverbs/folklore/sayings, the weather aspect of this one certainly fits in with the Northern Hemisphere rather than the Southern; I’m from Australia, I notice things like that.

We anticipate March and April being busy every year, ever since 2021 when we moved Cardboard Challenge from October 2020 to April 2021, it has meant several of our big events are held then. This season we have 3 weeks of Books to Eat, our visiting author Nikkolas Smith arriving for two weeks on April 14th, our 5th grade Battle of the Books on April 18th, and then 10 days to prepare for our 13th Cardboard Challenge on April 30th.

So by May, I’m not sure which animal we’ll be feeling like, but that month we’ll also be moving from Destiny to Oliver as our Library Management System and preparing for Summer Check Out. It is never dull in the library, we are very lucky.

For now, take a look at MOST of the entries for Books to Eat 2025. We had over 210 entries created by more than 250 students. The smell of sugar has gradually faded, but our memories of the creativity and culinary skills in our community remain.

Tubes for Days

Posted on January 22, 2024 by kimbra power

3^rd round of Toilet Roll and Tube Collecting

Please save your toilet rolls and tubes to bring in between Monday February 5^th and Wednesday February 7th. The ten students with the most tubes brought in over those 3 days will win a Caine’s Arcade Staff T Shirt to wear at our Cardboard Challenge event on Tuesday April 30^th.

Please don’t send in other bigger cardboard boxes til April, as we have nowhere to store it. Please keep them in your home til then if you can and e mail me, kimbra.power@saschina.org if you have any extra special large boxes (like tv’s/fridges/bikes/pianos) as we will do our best to get those from you.

Thank you to the students who HAVE brought in toilet rolls so far, but again, please save them til Feb 5-7 if possible.

To read more about why we have a day for our Cardboard Challenge and the history of Caine’s Arcade go here https://kpower34.wordpress.com/2021/05/09/cardboard-challenge-2021/

Stay Tuned for an action-packed Spring in the Library

Cardboard Challenge 2016

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Lana

Tomorrow is our 4th Cardboard Challenge, the 5th Global Cardboard Challenge, as started by the Imagination Foundation back in 2012. The Global Cardboard Challenge was inspired by the short film Caine’s Arcade.

The Global Cardboard Challenge is a fun, playful and inspiring way to foster creativity in children through a simple process called Creative Play. Through creative play, kids engage their imaginations and open up their minds to what’s possible – and then they turn their ideas into something real. In this process, children learn to develop and test their own ideas, take chances, solve problems, get input from others and become better creative thinkers.

Many people have asked me how we have run the Cardboard Challenge here in Shanghai, so below (and linked here) is a fact sheet, which condenses much of the great information provided by the Imagination Foundation

Cardboard Challenge Fact Sheet

Decide on a date for your Cardboard Challenge, the official date for the Global Cardboard Challenge, this year, was October 1^st 2016; however you can run an event whenever you want; anytime, anyplace.

6 weeks before event:

Advertise event in your community by sharing the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U original Caine’s Arcade Movie made by Nirvan Mullick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul9c-4dX4Hk movie that shows launch of Global Cardboard Challenge and Imagination Foundation

http://imagination.is/our-projects/cardboard-challenge/ Imagination Foundation Website with full information on Global Cardboard Challenge

4 weeks before event:

Start collecting recycled materials from your community and appoint student leaders to set up an area for materials, and a plan for counting materials.

I found weekly challenges worked best in our school and prizes were awarded each Friday for the class that brought in the most of the following:

Week One: Small boxes, such as medicine packets, toothpaste, chocolate but nothing bigger than a granola box.

Week Two: Medium sized boxes, such as tissue and cereal boxes

Week Three: Tubes, toilet paper, kitchen towel, foil and plastic wrap tubes; these are essential to a successful Cardboard Challenge.

Week Four: Boxes, the bigger, or more unusual, the better. If you can contact any companies in the area ahead of time to ask for donations of any used (or new) bike/fridge/furniture/storage boxes, these will be a huge hit.

Hints for a Successful Cardboard Challenge

Plan Ahead

Where will you store the collected cardboard?
What will happen to the cardboard after the event?
Can children take things home? What about shared projects?
Will you work across classrooms, across grade levels, across divisions?
Do you want to use paint… for some grade levels? All grade levels?
Get Parents involved; the younger grades especially will need help with cutting and gluing.
Make sure you have enough materials, not just cardboard, but things to cut/glue/paint/stick things together with. Where will these things be stored? Who will have access to them?

News from the Library

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Lana

Roald Dahl would have been 100 years old this year, we are celebrating his birthday on Tuesday September 13^th with a giant birthday cake, activities in the library and lots of Roald Dahl Read-Alouds. We’ll also have the excitement of 15 golden tickets being hidden in our picture books for any students to find, the students will then get to choose a free book from us to keep. What’s your favorite Roald Dahl book? If you’d like more information, check out this great website http://www.roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/roald-dahl-100

今年是罗德-道尔诞辰100周年。我们将在他9月13日生日当天以“大声读”和分蛋糕的方式来庆祝。还有一个“寻找黄金券”的重头好戏。15张将分散藏在15本图画书里，找到黄金券的优胜者可以从我们的神秘奖品柜里任选一本作为奖品。你最爱的罗德-道尔的书是哪本？了解更多详情，请点击链接

Our author David Greenberg is visiting September 19^th-23^rd. Please see the schedule on Schoology or my blog http://sites.saschina.org/kpower

If you are interested in the Civil Rights presentation offered to grades 4^th-12^th please join the High School division in the PAC on Tuesday at 9.25 am. David’s father was the lawyer for Martin Luther King and this presentation is excellent. If you would like to join in on any of his poetry presentations, you are also always welcome, check the schedule for a time that suits you and talk to your child’s classroom teacher.

大卫-格林伯格将与9月19日-23日来访美校。查看具体日程表请转至Schoology或者我的博客。如果家长有兴趣出席他为四至十二年级所做的关于民权的演讲，请于9月20日早9：25移步演艺中心。格林伯格的父亲曾是马丁-路德-金的律师，这场演讲必定精彩绝伦。如果你对他其他的演讲感兴趣，请在查看具体日程表后告知您孩子的班主任您的出席时间。

Our Cardboard Challenge is coming up on October 14^th, there are more details on my blog and Schoology. Please keep cardboard at your home for as long as possible as we don’t have a lot of space to store it, we will be collecting it in homeroom groups starting Monday September 26^th so PLEASE start sending items in then; we are particularly after small boxes such as toothpaste/granola/tissue/cereal and LOVE cylinders like toilet paper rolls etc. There will be a daily prize for the class that brings in the most items and we will have boxes outside the Elementary Library for them to be dropped off. Again, check out my blog http://sites.saschina.org/kpower and type cardboard challenge into the search area at the top of the page.

纸箱大挑战”将于10月14日登陆，更多详情可在Schoology或者我的博客上查询。由于我们的仓储空间有限，请帮助我们尽可能地收藏些纸箱。9月26日起我们将以班级为单位回收这些纸箱。最受欢迎的纸箱是类似纸巾盒、牙膏盒、麦片盒这样的小包装，或者是卷筒纸卷芯。回收箱就在图书馆正门靠近小学小学走廊的一边，每天回收的数字最多的班级会获得小奖品。点击我的博客链接输入cardboard challenge搜索更多信息。

Flashback to Cardboard Challenge

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Lana

Thanks to Tyson, Mimi’s teacher and my colleague, for sharing this cool clip of Cardboard Challenge Day.

Everything you need to know about CC

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Lana

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

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Lana

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…

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Lana

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

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Lana

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

6. Global Cardboard Challenge is on Friday October 9th, stay tuned for more details about what the day will look like.

Cereal Boxes

Shoe Boxes

Toilet Roll winners 3ED

the barefoot librarian

Kimbra Power

Tag Archives: cardboard challenge