Suggestions for Running a Successful Intersession
Teachable Moments
Every moment of intersession can be a teachable, learning moment. Consider what you would like the kids to get out of the experience. Any experience can have value, well, almost any! Consider the hour before your bus is available. You could spent the time watching a random movie, but you can also use that time to add something to enhance an experience. What can you do on a bus ride? Might be a good opportunity to build some friendships and get to know each other.
Example: Going to NH’s Stonehenge. Why not look at the other Stonehenge? A documentary or article. Maybe look at masonry or stone wall techniques. Could find a video or article about NH Stonehenge or other similar mysterious constructions like crop circles.
Find a Guest Speaker
So, you don’t know everything about a topic? That’s okay. Find someone that does know something about it! People are eager to volunteer--we have invited people we saw on Chronicle, heard about in the newspaper or who turned up on Google searches. And kids really enjoy a guest speaker.
Have a full day (and night!)
Your day activities need to be full from 7:30 to 2:50. Overnight activities should run from 7:30am (maybe 8 if they want to sleep in) all the way to 11pm. Wear them out. Maybe plan some evening activities in the lobby--working with photos, maps, playing games, etc.
Consider smaller academic endeavors
You don’t need to teach every Shakespearean play, advanced calculus, or quantum physics. But many activities can have built-in mini-lessons. Small little sips of academics. It might be stuff that we know that they probably don’t.
Examples: Before working on castle construction, watching a movie and have a guest speaker on castle design. Before going out on a tour of a city, give them a quick low-down on some famous buildings and architecture--then it can be a scavenger hunt to see who finds the Boston Athenaeum or the King’s Chapel! Maybe add a photography skills component and have a photo contest of the city's architecture.
What’s the product?
What can the students produce? Maybe they are building something--a castle, a 3D printed necklace, a hand-carved soapstone chess set, knitted socks. But maybe they can produce something for a trip: a photo album (digital or physical), a video, a GIS map, a series of postcards. We hope to have all students be able to show something off at some sort of showcase in the next couple of years (not 2015… we need to plan this out a bit more!). It’s worth thinking about. This product might also be something that can be worked on in the evenings in the hotel lobby.
Student Leaders
Intersession can be a lot of work. So delegate. What if you give one or two kids the responsibility of finding and making reservations for all lunch and dinner locations? Or what if they work on drafting plans? Itineraries? Games for the lobby of the hotel room or while waiting for the bus? Encourage students to get involved and reach for that LP (Leadership Participation) designation on their report card.
Journaling and Reflection
Journal and reflect as you go. Have them pre-reflect (Not sure think that’s a real thing) before the activity and then reflect after. Maybe give them little notebooks or blue books. They could even use their phones to capture some selfie-videos of what they’re thinking, feeling, learning.
Example: White water rafting. Wow… that’s scary stuff. Have them write for a few minutes, not a lot, before hitting the water to give voice to their thoughts. Are they excited, nervous, pumped, agitated, or wetting-their-pants-scared-out-of-their-minds?
Break it up!
Provide a variety of activities over the course of the three days and within the day. Think morning activities, afternoon activities. Just make sure they somehow connect.
Examples: Day one: do team building activities until bus comes, kayak, map trip together when return to school, . Day two: watch The Way while waiting for the bus, hike, finish the movie when return. Day three: work on climbing wall while waiting, rock climbing, watch helmet cam videos from 3 experiences
Get them moving
Kids want to be active, out and about. How can you get them moving or going places? Alternate activities that are active and sedentary--even getting up and walking to another room for the next activity helps
Contests
Why not have a contest? Have students take photos, and then they get to vote on the best. Or you can choose the winner. Or maybe the guest speaker? Build into your budget a few intersession-themed prizes (t-shirts, hats, a card game, a book). Maybe you have a series of points awarded, like at Winter Carnival where people can earn points for taking photos, finding scavenger hunt buildings, answering trivia questions, wearing costumes, bringing in themed snacks, or participating in other ways.