Design Project Day 5

2. All of the kids said they really liked the game because it was challenging, could be played in many different ways, could be played on a rainy day, :) and the instructions were easy to follow. (One kid said that the game was a little too challenging.) The teacher said that he wished the game was more self sustainable. 
     Our goals for making the game fun were to make it a little challenging but not too much, to have multiple holes to get the ball through, (like a normal skeeball machine) and to make the game colorful and attractive. I think we did accomplish the making it a little challenging, but we didn't put multiple holes because there wasn't enough room and it would've been way to difficult. We scribbled a little bit of color on our skeeball machine, but it wasn't that attractive. The main problem was the amount of time we had. 
3. What was the biggest problem you encountered? How did you solve it? 
Our biggest problem was making legs for the machine. As it turned out we weren't able to make legs because they weren't stable, so we solved the problem by using a pile of books to support the machine. 
When did you get your biggest AHA idea? What was it? 
We decided to create a little compartment for the ball to fall into once you threw it through the hole so the ball could roll back to you so you wouldn't have to go very far to catch it and play again. 
Who in the group resisted new ideas the most and why? 
 I was probably the one who resisted the most because my teammates wanted to make the hole smaller and I wanted to make it bigger. We settled an a size in between. (But as it turned out the hole did need to be bigger because the kids said it was a little hard to get the ball through the hole.) ;D 
What doubts did you have about the project and how did you overcome those doubts? 
My biggest doubt was the size of the hole on the skeeball machine. But when my group mates finally decided to make it bigger then they wanted (which still wasn't big enough for me) I decided that it would do and we all agreed so it was good. 
Who in your group was the "devil's advocate" and how did it help the process? 
My group members say that I was the devil's advocate and I think I have to agree. I didn't question a lot of the stuff, mainly about how it would work, how we would build it, and if we could finish it in time. I think this helped because we had to think about time management and how we would accomplish our ideas in real life. 
What did you learn about yourself, teamwork, and the design process? 
I learned that I'm not really good at building things and I probably won't pursue that as a job in the future. I also learned that working with friends to build things can actually be a lot of fun because you get to share ideas and create new things. I feel like the design process is kind of hard, but it really helps when it comes to creating something new.   

Design Project Day 3

1. All of our descriptions, minus one (a story line/theme) match our game of skeeball. Skeeball involves action and competition because you can play against people and it requires a lot of movement. It's very interactive because people are involved when watching and playing. When we build the real game, we will make it colorful and eye-catching, giving it a good design.  
2. The slot where the ball comes out and the edges to keep the ball from falling off the board are really good parts of our model and we're going to keep them. 
3. We need to make more sturdy legs (maybe use a different material) to keep our game from falling over like it did last time. I think with sturdy legs the game could work really well. 


1/2:  

• Gather materials (cardboard, packaging tape, colored poster paper, strong scissors, glue gun, markers, a small light ball to throw with)
•  build stronger legs, (made out of pringles cans rapped in cardboard or poster paper) 
• build the body of the skeeball machine (made out of 2 layers of cardboard and strips for the ball slot) 
• decorate the legs and body with poster paper and markers 
• connect the legs to the body (using glue gun)     

Community Service Journals

Day 1: 

Today we arrived at the Best Buddies administration building. Our group walked upstairs to a conference room and reviewed what we would be doing for the week with a man who worked in the building. I was surprised when he said we wouldn't be working with the disabled. (I mean, that was the reason I signed up for the program) The description said we would be helping out disabled kids. I was even more surprised when he assigned various groups the jobs of cleaning up cabinets, filing papers (my job), and going through people's personal documents to make sure they had everything in order. I didn't feel like I was helping the community, I felt like a janitor! 

     We asked if we could go visit the kids, because that's what we expected to do in the first place. The administration said we could, but we would have to make a plan of activities to complete with the children. When we got back to the school we assigned groups of who would do what activities and on what days. There were physical activities, (my group) which included games like Simon Says, Mother May I, Spud, and Freeze tag. There was also crafts, (making paper airplanes, coloring the body parts, drawing, etc.) singing songs in English, (like the alphabet, Oh Mr. Sun, etc.) and teaching the kids how to say different foods in English.

It's now the end of the day, and I'm excited to go help out tomorrow!  

Day 2: 

Today was very disappointing. Everyone was let down when we were told that we couldn’t go see the kids today because the "email verifying that we were coming wasn't sent in time." Because we would have nothing to do all day, 5 kids (including me) went back to the Best Buddies Administration building to file more papers. (The other students stayed at school and planned what we would do with the disabled kids in more detail.)

     The second I heaved a binder full of disorganized papers onto the floor and attempted to organize them, I was tired and extremely bored. After I finished one binder I sat on the floor and wondered if the other group was doing something more interesting. I decided investigate. I walked downstairs to find the other group staring at folders full of people's personal, private information from Best Buddies. (They were making sure they had all the documents they needed.) They were almost finished when I sat down to help. I tried to finish a folder but all the documents were in Spanish. Being a non-native Spanish speaker made it difficult to figure out what was what. In the end the others had to help me (a lot) to verify everything. With the folders finished we rewarded ourselves with a little free time. A few minutes later a man came up to us and asked for our help with cutting out, gluing, and laminating some pictures. It was the funnest work I did in my whole 2 days of being there. When we finished with that it was time to go. 

     Back at the school all the students made sure that we would be helping with the kids the next day, because we couldn't stand another day of office work. Our teachers assured us that they would try their best to set it up for us, and that they didn't think it was fair for us to be doing office work when we were told that Best Buddies was something completely different. 

Right now I'm just hoping that by the end of tomorrow I'll feel like I helped the community more than I have for the past 2 days. 

Day 3: 

     We finally worked with the disabled students today! I was so happy when I arrived at school and Ms. Shawn told us that we would be going to the school and helping with the kids. The bus ride was an hour long. (We got lost a few times.) When we finally found the building a woman was out there to greet us. She spent a while talking to us about the people who attend the school, what disabilities they have, and who we'd be working with. Then we took a tour of the school. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous and uncomfortable at first. (And I know I wasn't the only one.) I have never had experience working with disabled or mentally challenged people before. As we walked around the building I saw people who's issues varied from speaking a learning difficulties to being physically unable to take care of themselves. But no matter what disability they had they were all very welcoming and excited to see us. 

     Our guide then showed us the students we would be working with. Compared to others in the school, this group of students had the least amount of trouble. We sat around in a circle and introduced ourselves. Some sang for us. (One performed an art that he called "fusion.") After that we broke up into groups and talked to the kids while teaching them some English words. (It seemed that our very organized plan wouldn't really work out.) I was pushed into a group with peers from CNG that I wasn't very familiar with, along with the kids from Best Buddies. (I'll remind you, I don't speak Spanish very well.) Because I didn't feel very comfortable with the language and being in a group of people I didn't know, I didn't really talk to anyone. I sat, watched, and listened to other people's conversations. (One boy did ask me where I was from and if I liked Colombia, but that was it.) 

     I feel bad for not having talked to anyone, but it was good for me to sit and listen so I could become more comfortable and understand the kids better. Tomorrow I am determined to get over my fear of speaking Spanish and talk to the kids and help teach them English. 

Day 4: 

     Today was the best day of service so far! It was so much fun! 

     I walked into Best Buddies comfortable with my surroundings (having been there yesterday) and determined to spend time with the students. I joined a group I had friends in, so they could help me with Spanish when I didn't understand or didn't know how to say something. I spent half of my time rotating with groups of kids and teaching them how to say different foods in English. Some could pronounce the words perfectly, and could remember them too! Others who had more trouble I had to repeat the words multiple times until they got it, but when they did it stuck in their heads! I was impressed. 

     After the English lesson we went outside to eat a snack. Everyone in the school was out there running around, playing with each other, and having a good time. (I even saw a boy and a girl holding hands - it was adorable!) 

     After snack we went inside to play tingo-tango. (A game where you pass the ball around the circle while someone says tingo tingo tingo tingo, and when they say tango the person holding the ball has to do whatever the group tells them to.) When people got bored with that those who wanted to got up and sang. Then it was time to go. 

     Today was such a great experience! 

Day 5: 

     Today was my last day of social service. We arrived at Best Buddies with colored paper, markers, and clay. I spend most of the day drawing the rotating groups of kids while others made clay sculptures and paper airplanes. During my first group, one of the students actually drew me! After he he showed me the picture I asked him to write my name on it, which he did. I also helped another student write the names of pictures he drew in English. (When he got bored of that I taught him to write numbers 1-5 in English.) 

     My next group of kids didn't really feel like drawing so they wrote a letter to CNG, thanking us. 

     In my last group one kid kept telling me what he wanted to draw, but wouldn't draw it. When I handed him all the colors he said he needed he finally started drawing. It turned out very nice. He gave it away to my group member Daniel. 

     After we finished our arts and crafts activities, we cleaned up and ate snack. Our last activity before we left was reading a story called It's OK to be Different. It was a really sweet book. At one part, when it talked about achieving your dreams, one student (who was a particularly good drawer) said he wanted to be an artist. Another student, named Sona, said her dream was to run. (She has knee issues and needs to walk with a cane.) It was inspiring. I was truly sad when we left today. Those kids have grown on me. As I was shaking their hands and kissing their cheeks goodbye, I could only think of how successful they'll be in whatever dream they pursue. They are all smart, sweet, appreciative, and impressive kids.