One Block Challenge
Ive done the One Block Challenge workshop a million times at NYSCI, and I was so happy I could bring it to Dubai as well. At OliOli, this type of workshop was best suited for camp groups, as it was almost every student's first experience with using real tools like saws, clamps, and hot glue guns. The camp context also let me break the experience down into multiple sessions, allowing plenty of time for the campers to get creative and comfortable using these new tools and materials. And since camps were themed, we got some incredible sea creatures, animals, and ‘magical monsters’.
One Block Challenge
Gravity Racers - Building
For our DIY Derby Camp we changed up the One Block Challenge: Every camper got a 5.5” long 2x4 that they had to transform into a wood car. The creativity and perseverance of this group was truly inspiring. Cutting through a 2x4 is much more challenging than sawing a small block of wood, and adding wheels, axles, drills, sanding, and painting to the mix created an ambitious and rewarding project for all.
To start, everyone traced their block on paper and tried to draw, as simply as possible, what the general shape of their car would look like. Some of our younger campers went with a lovely little car made with 3 saw cuts, while other more experienced campers added wings, unicorn horns, or even managed to turn their block into two seperate racers. Many of the campers figured out they could add details and texture to their car by drawing designs with the hot glue.
One Block Challenge
Gravity Racers - Finishing
After all the cars were cut, glued, drilled, and sanded, we moved on to the painting and adding wheels and axles. The campers loved painting their cars and the amazing mix of designs and details really shows it. This project took 3 days of camp to complete and I am so glad we were able to give the campers that much time and space to experience and explore all the tools, materials, and processes.
Peg Pets
While this technically isn’t a One Block Challenge, it is a lovely woodworking workshop that combines the many broken dowels from our Sticks and Bands activity with all the scrap wood that we collected during the year. Over the course of three 45 minutes sessions the campers learned how to use basic woodworking tools like saws, clamps, and hand drills, to connect pieces of wood together without using any glue. This activity was run during our animal camp and we were blown away with the creativity they displayed.
