News

Welcome to an amazing week at Science Camp, where young minds get to discover the magic of science through fun activities and hands-on experiments. Each and every day is thematic with adventure, curious exploration, and love for learning. Our campers experience magic by discovering the secrets of geology and biology and exploring the amazing worlds of zoology and physics through interaction.

Monday: Geology and Compost
The first day, we started off with camp preparation and welcomed kids to make them energized and thrilled by having some games. Our first activity consisted of games related to geology and compost. They performed games on volcanoes, a compost race, an archaeological dig, and a memory game, then concluded the morning with a game called Hot Asteroid. This is followed by lunch, then more fun and engaging activities in the afternoon.



Tuesday: Zoology
The 2nd day was all about zoology. We kicked it off with play dough monsters, which were all about learning genes. Then the kids made and decorated animal masks. After the break, we played The Octopus game and a rock-paper-scissors evolution game. We did an animal migration tag game and an animal relay race to top it off. Kids learned loads and had so much fun.



Wednesday: Biology
The challenge for the 3rd day was the theme of biology. We outlined the body and put the organs in their correct places. Then, we did an experiment to extract DNA from strawberries. After lunch, they played Floor is Lava, learned about viruses, and completed first-aid activities. To close the day, we finished with drawing a heart to get them to remember what was taught in biology.



Thursday: Physics
The 4th day, we did some physics experiments with children. First, we made a non-Newtonian fluid and let them play around in it. Then they prepared and decorated paper planes to be flown in a competition. After the break, we had this acting game where teams acted like machines and others had to guess what they were supposed to be. There were activities about electricity, too, as well as Meteor Shower Dodgeball. At the very end, we fit in a worm race, which was a lot of fun.



Friday: Chemistry
The last day was all about chemistry. We started with some icebreakers and then a song on the scientific method. Our first experiment was the science of pepper and water. Following that was making lava lamps. After the break, we had a cool virus and vaccines simulation. The children played a game with atoms and chemical bonds. We ended the day with a lemon message activity .

News

InFormal Creativity was a training course that took place in France from March 2-10 on methods and tools for visual facilitation and storytelling. It continued, however, with a drawing marathon “Drawing Together – InFormal Creativity” that lasted for two weeks from May 20 – June 3, 2024. It involved participants drawing a picture on any theme each day and posting it in the common telegram group.

Every day participants would see each other’s drawings, inspire each other for the next days, give constructive feedback and encourage each other to draw. This created a pleasant atmosphere of learning by practising together.

But this marathon was not the only outcome of the InFormal Creativity training course. The participants from Romania, Andreea Staicu, Ana-Maria Răducan and Teodora Răducan, had to disseminate the results and methods learned in France.

They facilitated various workshops in their communities.

Ana-Maria and Teodora facilitated a visual tools workshop for the volunteers of Asociația CREATIV, with whom they work in Brebu. For 3 hours they presented different drawing and visual facilitation techniques, challenged the volunteers to draw different ideas and objects in 15 seconds, helped them simplify more complex drawings using basic shapes such as triangles, circles, lines, and encouraged them to experiment with concepts for frames, arrows and fonts.

The volunteers were very excited and curious to practise, although initially they didn’t think they would have the skills for it The various games showed them that drawing is for everyone, regardless of talent or ability, and it can be practiced and explored.

Two other participants of the training course, Estel from Spain and Uğur from Turkey, also visited Brebu. On this occasion, together with Ana-Maria, they facilitated a drawing workshop for the children from Brebu who come to the activities organized on weekends by Asociația CREATIV.

They did a drawing activity based on the story of a shipwreck on a deserted island. After an adventure at sea, the children, split into two groups, were shipwrecked on a tropical island, where they had to draw their surroundings.

 

All the children had creative and funny ideas about what they need to survive and have fun, what animals they share the island with or what resources they find there. As they drew, they also had fun and constructive discussions, inspiring each other and working together to make the island as comfortable as possible to live on together. 

And then they still managed to escape by flying off with well-crafted paper airplanes.

The workshop ended with some more quick drawing and communication-through-pictures games, where the children felt the competitive as well as the team spirit. At the end, they all felt more confident in their drawing skills, more engaged and more self-confident.

A wonderful and valuable training that has and continues to bear fruit in the community!

 

 

Ana-Maria Răducan

Asociația CREATIV