Same But Different Days
There’s a book called Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw that tells a beautiful story of two pen pals. One lives in America and one in India. Their worlds might look different but they are actually similar. We’ve read this many times at Acton and this story reminds me of camp life. Camp at Acton is the same as school but different. Here’s a clue into the camp life you may have been hearing snippets about and why we feel camp is a special and experimental adventure!
The main difference during camp is that learners range in age from 4 to 12 and the mixture of studios gives a fresh feeling and on the first day a little confusion. Do the Spark Studio promises or Discovery Studio promises apply? How do they track and earn privileges? On day one we declared that learners were no longer a Discovery or Spark Studio, they are a Camp Studio. Since this declaration, learners felt invited to explore new friendships and take care of one another regardless of how they previously Studio identified. Probably my favorite interaction thus far has been watching a free play game of royalty that included a 4 year old learner and 12 year old learner as joint kings. They sat on one throne (the mini king sitting on the big king’s lap) and the mini king hopped off to give kind and clear requests and demands. Typically when imagining a game of royalty between ages you might think that older children would order around younger children however at Acton I viewed a very different power dynamic. The mini 4 year old king was running the monarchy and stood in front of an 11 year old butler with a small smirk on his face, hand on his hip, and wagged his finger in the air at the butler. The king stated “I am serious, you are fired.” The 11 year old butler took the king seriously and played along with great attention. I was shocked! This was a game they were reveling in playing and a game that allowed all learners to feel safe. Camp is an opportunity for these learners to stretch outside their typical aged studios and stretch with the joy of play. They are in the same studio space but the studio is different.
Another sameness is that the day’s schedule feels mostly similar to Acton life with 2 large blocks of time sandwiched between three daily discussion Launches (morning, afternoon, closing). The Launches are the same usual process but the conversation is different and the learning has ripples of potential. Changing up the grouping of ages in the studio gives younger learners the chance to listen to more experienced learner arguments and reasoning styles. Quickly less experienced learners are upping their game by stating “I agree because” or adding evidence to prove their point. Older learners with strong conversational skills gain from this process too, they practice empathy, mentorship, and humility. Imagine you are 5 and the coolest 10 year old agrees with you publicly! Instant confidence game changer!
Camp just seems to flow and hum drum with overflowing love and creativity! Plus we love all the smells wafting from the kitchen of specialty pancakes and savory scones, also known as ”the smell of happiness” the scent description shared by a learner. This flow of creating invites Guides to tinker and experiment. Camp is a creative playground to test almost everything. The questions our team is currently testing are 1. How does ample movement in the morning (inside and outside recess) effect learner focus? Would more free play time in the morning lead to greater productivity and attention? 2. If learners are given more freedom of where and who they sit next during Launches will they contribute to the discussion more or less? 3. Are learners ready to eat lunch anywhere in the school and be responsible to clean up after themselves without a system? Can learners regulate when and how long they eat and play during recess?
Guides are always tinkering and of course questioning just as we and our beautiful learners are changing! In just another week of camp I guarantee more changes will bloom as camp at Acton is the same, same but different.