This summer, two high school interns from the PrepareRI internship program joined the Education Services Department to support in-person community outreach and educational programming. One of the initiatives they supported was the LEAP into the Loop Summer Camp at the Warwick Public Library - an engaging program inspired by the PBS KIDS show Lyla in the Loop. The camp featured intentionally designed activities aimed at developing computational thinking skills or creative problem-solving, and critical thinking skills in children. Hear from George Siri and Julia Rose Palad, rising seniors at Classical High School, about their experience supporting multiple sessions of the LEAP into the Loop Summer Camp and leading the final session.
Supporting and Learning about the Camp
Julia Rose Palad: Growing up, I knew what it was like to be in library programs. I went to the Warwick Public Library frequently and participated in many events like LEAP when I was younger. As a kid, I remember climbing the stairs of the library with my cousin, sitting down for read-alouds, and watching how the fish swam in the tanks and the way the tarantula slept in its den. I was no foreigner to the Warwick Public Library because I grew up there. But instead of being a kid, it was now my time to lead them. It felt good knowing what it was like to be in these programs.
A few days prior to my first LEAP session, I packed the goody bags for the kids. In our programs, we usually give kids snacks, a book, and a couple of flyers, all for free. Packing would become a common practice for me throughout all the library programs I attended. I prepared in other ways too, like watching the videos and going through the lesson plans.
George Siri: The first session I attended was Stu’s Loop, which focused on control structures. Children played “Red Light, Green Light” with added steps to understand instructions the way a computer would. Then, they played a version of ‘Simon Says’ called “Lyla Says”, strengthening their understanding of modified instructions like lines of code. They finished with bracelet-making, which allowed them to demonstrate their newfound knowledge of control structures by making beaded bracelets with a pattern. I especially loved how the children were able to then connect control structures to general things they found every day, like stop signs and street lights.
Palad: For my first session, we taught the kids about decomposition. We based our lesson on the episode The Four Little Pigs and Brucey where Lyla and her siblings broke down a story to play. Taking inspiration from this, the kids were able to create new narratives. Overall, this lesson helped the kids understand how to decompose big ideas into smaller steps.
On Leading the Final Session
Palad: Our lesson focused on the engineering design process. We would be teaching this by helping kids create a carnival game from recyclables. In preparation, George and I worked together building three different games that the kids could use for inspiration. I also made a worksheet for the kids to use to design. George and I collaborated on making a slideshow and a lesson plan. To further supplement this, I made it a goal to watch as many Lyla in the Loop episodes as I could to familiarize myself with the material and also to relate to the kids in the program.
Siri: Louisa’s Loop was a session that allowed kids and facilitators to build carnival games together in teams. The focus of the session was design processes, which entailed working in groups to create games, then test and improve them. The kids would brainstorm and sketch out the idea, while we, the facilitators, would guide them.. After they made the games, they tested them and improved them. The game my group created was “Claw Ball”, in which one person closed their eyes and held their hand over a box with balls in it, and the others would help to verbally guide them. This was my favorite session, not only because I enjoyed presenting or heading the program, but because I learned so much about lesson planning and working with children.
Palad: From creating these activities, I gained insight into what it was like being on the educator’s side of these programs. I put in a lot of effort in making plans and received a lot of valuable experience in teaching. Usually, as a student or kid, you do not get to see this side of education. But after knowing what it was like prepping and also actually conducting a session, it made me realize how much work is put into these programs. Overall, it was a great experience at LEAP into the Loop, and I enjoyed taking part in it.
