"Connections" Activity #3
A Campfire or Bedtime Story
A barbeque, a High Definition T.V., and a bucket of paint are all part of this story.
I bet you’re asking yourself how these things are part of our Summer Camp story. Follow along as we take you through this journey and learn a few valuable lessons along the way.
Once upon a time…
…there were 2 Camp Counselors named Syd and Chloe. This story begins in the warm months of the Summer of 2020. They were working at the Batawa Ski Hill creating lots of fun activities and videos for their campers to enjoy with their families who couldn’t join them at camp because they needed to be safe & stay at home.
One day Syd’s parents decided to buy a new barbeque because their old one was falling apart into a million little rusty pieces. Syd rushed out one morning just as the recycling truck was about to pick up the gigantic barbeque box that his father had put out at the road, saving it by mere seconds.
Syd thought for many days and nights about what to do with this massive box. He knew it could be used for something….but what? Finally. one morning he decided to bring it to camp with him and figure out what to do with it.
“That would make a cute little house!” exclaimed Chloe. “Or a spaceship, or a car, or a submarine, or a plane.”
Luckily, Syd and Chloe received a surprise visit from their camp helpers Owen, Abby, and Lyla. Now here’s where the real fun begins. Their faces lit up when they discovered that they could make this giant cardboard box into whatever they wanted! Syd and Chloe gave them the few supplies they had like a hot glue gun, markers, scissors, bamboo skewers, tissue paper, and a bucket of paint. And with that, the siblings got right down to work making this box their home.
Our amazing (and sometimes goofy) camp helpers Owen, Abby, & Lyla
First they decided a door and window were the first renovations that needed be done. They were patiently and anxiously planning their next ideas as Syd used a box cutter to safely cut a cute door and 4 panel window out.
Then came the bucket of paint; we realized that a plain brown cardboard box, splattered with a barbeque logo would simply not do. No we needed colour and lots of it. Each sibling took a turn at painting the front and sides of their new cozy hangout spot. Of course, the door had to be a different colour.
Slowly the house was starting to look more like a home. Syd and Chloe promised to keep good care of this work in progress while the three tired camp helpers returned home for the night to let the newly applied paint dry and to have a good night’s rest.
Owen, Abby, and Lyla were begging their mom all week to go back to camp to finish their secret project (they didn’t tell their mom what they were making because they wanted to surprise her when it was all finished). Finally, she agreed that they could go back and the following day Syd and Chloe heard a knock at the door and knew exactly who it was.
The three again were so engaged and wanted to work on the project they had started. Lyla and Abby painted lovely, colourful decorations on the outside. Flowers, shapes, and a butterfly were all part of the handpainted designs. “Did you paint those yourself?” Chloe asked Lyla, quite suprised at the talent this 5 year old exhibited. “Yes! I learned how to paint flowers really well in Kindergarten last year!” Lyla answered.
Meanwhile, Abby had finished painted her flowers and was wondering what to do next. She noticed that the windows were looking a little bare, so she made curtains out of a woodern skewer for the rod and tissue paper for the fabric. They were even fully functional so they can open or close if it gets too sunny in there!
Owen was quiet for awhile and Syd & Chloe weren’t sure what he was thinking about. Without a word, Owen went inside the house with a glue gun and 2 wooden skewers. A few minutes later we heard some giggling and a funny cartoon being played. We open the door and saw Owen’s latest renovation was a “flat screen high definition TV” made from his smartphone.
His amazing engineering did not stop there. By the end of the day, he had added a fully lockable door handle and of course a roof that was the last missing piece to make the house a home.
Now if you’ve gotten this far in the story, don’t leave yet. We’re almost finished and we saved the best for last.
So the trio went into their new home to eat their snack, watch a few cartoons, and even used it for a hide and seek spot. They each learned how to problem solve to make a big old cardboard box into something that they were proud of. They worked together while communicating to each other and shared the materials they needed. They also used their talents to contribute to this project in the best way they knew how. They were protective of their home as they spent a lot of time and a great deal of effort making it exactly the way they wanted- now that is pride!
As Syd and Chloe were shutting off the lights and leaving for the day, they thought they saw something from the window of the cardboard house. They slowly opened up the door and found Syd’s mini garden gnome Wally had crawled inside and made himself comfy. He sure found a home, made and filled with love!
The End.
Breaking News
The company Amazon must have been inspired by our story because they just announced that their cardboard boxes that they ship packages in will become more environementally friendly by making them smaller…..and get this- will include detailed instructions on how to transform them into different creations as part of a “reusable campaign”. So the next time, you have an extra cardboard box, unlock its full potential with a little creativity and imagination. You might be surprised at what you can create!
Follow the link below to find the full instructions to make a Fort, a Cat Condo, a Windmill Mini Golf, a Car, a Rocket, and a Robot Costume!