Of Superheroes and Storytelling
Photo credit: Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr, NPR
Field trips are always a highlight of a school year. Even more so when it involves superheroes and storytelling.
Last week All Things Considered reported from 826NYC on the innovative field trips they produce for local school children.
One recent morning, 19 third-graders from P.S. 250 in Williamsburg were welcomed into the Superhero Supply store, then taken two-by-two through a secret doorway into the reading space. Each student dons a pair of Clark Kent-style glasses for an official “author photo” before sitting down on a rug at the far end of the room, facing Parker [an 826 volunteer].
Parker tells them that all the employees of the Mildew Publishing Company are in a predicament. She describes the unseen taskmaster of a boss, “Mr. Mildew,” as gross, scary, stinky and living 17 basements below the store. He’s demanded that (coincidentally) he needs 19 original stories by that afternoon or all the employees will be fired.
The children volunteer to help write those stories and, making all of their decisions by consensus, the elements of their stories start to develop. While one 826 volunteer provides illustrations on a sketchpad and easel, another transcribes the work-in-progress on a computer, which is projected onto a screen in the front of the room.
Each student leaves with their own printed and bound copy of the book. A wonderful reminder of their creative, and educational, adventure.
Tags: 826, field trip, new york