junior program summer site : conversations : first session



	andrew from massachusetts (7/28) Andrew is a 6th grade Voyager returning for his second summer at Explo. He enjoys main events like the Airborne Comedians and athletic activities featuring unusual sports like thunderball and speedball. Which trip did you go on today? I went to the Roger Williams Zoo. It was fun. What did you do there? We saw a lot of cool animals. We saw monkeys, turtles, kangaroos, pandas, a leopard, bears, and a lot of cool stuff. I liked seeing some of the endangered animals. It’s really cool that you get to see them. Which animals were your favorites? The monkeys, because they ran around. There were also tree kangaroos, which I’ve never seen or heard of before. They were pretty much like regular kangaroos, but they live in trees. I liked seeing all of the animals, though. I hadn’t been to a zoo in a really long time and I figured it would be a fun trip. Which trip are you going on tomorrow? Water Country. Have you ever been before? Yes. It’s fun and there are a lot of slides and pools and stuff like that. Which is your favorite slide? I’m not sure what it’s called, but there are three different slides and they’re each a different color. What are you doing now? I’m doing the “pixilation” activity. It’s where you draw pictures of small dots, but when you look at them far away, it looks like a picture. I drew the American flag and an apple. What have been some of your favorite activities? All of them, but I really like the sports activities, like speedball, thunderball, and wallball. Those sound different. What’s speedball? It’s a combination of soccer and handball. You have to pick it up with your body and then you can just tag people with two hands. Then it just turns into soccer. . . .And thunderball? It’s kind of like baseball, but you use tennis rackets and tennis balls. . . .And wallball? You use a kickball, but when you use your hands, it has to hit the ground before it hits the wall. Then it can’t bounce twice before it hits the wall. You can get out if it bounces twice or if it doesn’t bounce at all. Which classes are you taking? I’m taking “Thrill Ride”, which is a Lego engineering course, and “Explo Building Company”, which is woodworking. What are you doing in “Thrill Ride”? We just finished making bumper cars and had a battle with them. Next we’re going to be making rollercoasters and amusement park rides. How did you make bumper cars? We used RCX boxes, which are kind of like motorized, battery-controlled things. Then we hook the motors up to wheels and put some attachments on it so that it all runs efficiently. What are you doing in “Explo Building Company”? We just finished making plaques and staining them . . . and next we just started making a toolbox. What did your plaque look like? It started out as a rectangle, but I carved into it so it’s kind of indented on the sides. It doesn’t say anything, but I’m going to make it say something later. What is it going to say? Probably “Andrew’s Room”. How are you making the toolbox? We already have the dimensions, so we just measure and cut the wood, then nail it together. What are classes at Explo like? They’re really fun because you never do just one thing. They’re educational and really fun at the same time. Like, in woodworking, you get to use tools and stuff, and in Lego engineering, you get to use RCX boxes and learn about building. What made you decide to come back to Explo? I had a really good time last year. The activities and the courses were really fun, so I decided to come back. What are you looking forward to this summer? I’m looking forward to building the rollercoasters in “Thrill Ride” and the other projects in woodworking. I’m also looking forward to the main events, which are also really fun. What’s tonight’s main event? It’s the staff talent show. I’m hoping to see a lot of cool talents. What have been some of your other favorite main events? I liked the Airborne Comedians and the “Yo-Yo Show” and pretty much every other main event. Would you recommend Explo to a friend? Yeah. It’s really fun and I’m sure everyone would have a good time here. There are a lot of different things to do. Everything is mixed together and it’s just flat out fun. What should Explo’s mascot be? I think it would be some kind of animal doing the Numa, because we pretty much do the Numa every day. more conversations > first session \| second session