Here are a few items swept up after the main construction of this document.

Publicity

Here is another paradox to consider: You want your CSW name in lights everywhere so people know what they have the opportunity to take advantage of, and so your donors can see you are awesome. At the same time, publicity has its downsides. It takes time and effort to create publicity. You don’t want to attract too much of the non-target population; a successful project in a low-income neighborhood can be in danger of being usurped by middle- and upper-income families, and the occasional day when too many students show up can be hard on the staff and yourself. 

These days it is nearly impossible to keep donors happy without regular social media posts, so most of us do it. Proud kids with projects is an aesthetic that never grows old, so it can become an easy part of the routine. We also look for local reporters to get to know, and try to show up on TV and in newspapers whenever we have some kind of significant event. And if it’s been a while since we’ve been in the public eye, we will create such an event and call the press. 

One serious issue is how to deal with photographing kids. Two dangers are families being angry at their kids being posted online without their permission, and dangerous people getting information on participants. For school programs or with groups of kids from other agencies, we simply follow their policy. Aside from that, we all use different strategies. Here are some:

Make emergency registration cards for the regulars. This is the formal, school-like way to do it. After a kid or family comes in a few times, they sign a registration or emergency contact sheet. On that sheet you get their age, school, address, parents’ names, phone numbers, etc. Then at the bottom you say “Check here if you DON’T want your photo taken for publicity purposes” (the opt-out scheme). Most families just sign such docs with minimum worry, so then you’re covered. Or, if they check the box, you let all staff know not to photograph that kid.

One consideration with this process is that undocumented or otherwise unstable families may not want to give all that information out. Many of us let those families slip by without pressing it, because we want them in our programs for sure, and maybe just try to gauge the chances they’ll be taking us to court. 

Use an app to cover faces with emojis. Several face-covering apps are available and adjustable to cover any kids’ faces in the photo. While this is a solution used by many, it is important to realize that it’s still possible to identify the kids in many cases, and may or may not be accepted by families as an adequate protection of privacy.  Some folks argue that the benefit of such a photo is totally lost if you cover the face with an emoji, that is, better not to take a photo at all if you’re going to ruin it anyway.

Avoid direct face shots. If you avoid filling a photo with a kid’s face, they will be harder to identify on media posts and the risks above are lessened. One classic photo or video shot is over a kid’s shoulder as they work on something. Sometimes a shot of the whole CSW in action is good, as no one is too well defined.

Make relationships and build trust. You will want to get to know the families of as many of the regulars as you can, and in the process you can get to know how much you trust them and how vulnerable they may be. You can always ask parents or kids if they mind a photo being posted, and you can get permission before putting a face on a flyer. Then you can take mostly photos of the ones you’ve vetted.

In the end, most of us take chances, because the best photos are face shots of adorable kids using tools to make stuff, and we want to get that out there to show the world what we’ve got going on. 

It should go without saying that it is always a bad idea to publish names or any other info on a child. If a child has been identified as a target, the predator will likely begin hanging around your program. Unknown single adults are not welcome at most of our CSWs, and should be approached soon after their arrival to find out what’s up. Many of us also find out soon how each of our regulars gets to and from the CSW, and do our best to support a safe passage. 

A final note about photos and publicity: high profile institutions or those with large grants or sponsors to support work with kids can build a reputation of being overzealous when it comes to pictures. It can even feel like the only reason they’re serving a particular group is so that they can get their “money shot” to put in their newsletter or gala presentation. While a photo that tells the story of excellent work happening can be important to keeping donors and funders aboard, it’s best not to pollute an earnest program by putting too much focus by the visuals. It’s possible to lose trust with a community who sees that happening.

Field Trips

Ah, the glory! Let’s jump in the bus and go somewhere exotic! Somewhere I’d never get to go with my family! Field trips are tops on the list of things kids remember about their childhood experiences. They offer contact with the real world for kids with parents who don’t or can’t take them out much. Taking whole families can be exceptionally rewarding as well. 

In addition to being a memorable experience of the world outside, field trips can be transformative in kids’ lives for the simple fact that they allow kids to raise their perspective and notice how things work in a new place. One striking example of this is when Fresno and Watsonville have taken gang-involved youth on snowboarding trips. The participants thought they were just recreating, but they couldn’t avoid seeing people from all over going about their business at the ski resort, completely uninterested in whether anyone claimed this or that gang allegiance in their little neighborhood. The world became larger and more realistic for them, and we could almost feel the shift in the kids’ perspectives over the course of a couple of days.

Another CSW field trip saw a kid who was notorious for his violent gang activity brought to tears from his fear of heights halfway down a rappel. Once down, he curled up in a ball at the bottom, now comforted by the same peers he had previously bullied. 

Pedagogically CSWs have several overlapping elements with outdoor leadership programs. A CSW can be seen as a subset of nature. Disconnecting from the constant din of technology, schedules, appointments, responsibilities can be a refreshing reboot and a chance to look in at your life from outside of it. 

A few memorable activities to do with kids right out of the outdoor leadership playbook include: a “dark hike” or “trust walk” where participants take turns walking alone on the trail in the dark, hundreds of feet between facilitators. Another one that involves science is “big ears” or “hide and go beep” where blindfolded participants use their hands cupped behind their ears to find their hiding peers by sound rather than sight. These activities can be quite profound at helping you recognize the power of sensory perception.

A lot of destinations are nice. Here are some factors in deciding where to go:

• Kids and families are keen to go.* 
• Kids will be pushed out of their comfort zone.* 
• There is much to learn from the destination, at least some of which is in the realm of science: nature, history, geology, climate, industry, or technology. 
• The distance is right. For a day trip it’s not too far, ideally a well-known and locally relevant spot. For an overnight trip, it’s plenty far, three or four hours if possible, so everyone gets the full experience of a new place, new people, and different scenery and ecosystems. 
• Participants can be active, exploring real stuff. A lake or forest beats an amusement park, for example, and a hands-on science center beats a walk-and-read museum. 
• Not too hot, not too cold; the right time of year to enjoy the area. 
• Water is a key element: swimming, wading, playing, even following a stream are naturally attractive and educational. It’s important to have designated lifeguards if the water is more than a foot deep or flowing. 

*These first two are in a fine balance. We are often shocked these days when we have a hard time getting kids to do something that seems like a great adventure such as sleeping in tents, backpacking, top-roping, or going out on rafts or kayaks. Some of us find it hard to believe, but many kids will say outright that they’re scared, or say they’re uninterested, which either means they’re living with blinders or they are embarrassed to say they’re scared. In this case, a good relationship with the kids is mandatory, and sometimes some sort of minor bribe or distraction: (the promise of a stop at the ice cream shop on the way home, smores, etc.).

Safety considerations are top priority on field trips. The California sites have sustained many small injuries on field trips, especially those associated with water. Having everyone on high alert is the first step. Group responsibility for keeping every member safe is the way to set things up. Many of the standard elements of camping are inherently hazardous: knives, hatchets, fire, smores sticks, etc. Finally, the most dangerous part of the trip just may be the drive, especially the return leg. The staff are tired and eager to get home, kids can be irritable, and vehicles are notoriously good at injuring and killing humans. Vehicles should be given a good once-over before the kids enter.

Special Events

With a few staff or volunteers, CSWs can put on a heck of a show. Below are some of the events we’ve been part of. 

Parades. Watsonville’s Fourth of July parade has seen CSW hovercraft, custom four-person bikes and recumbent trikes, a human hamster ball, one kid rolling another in pair of inner tubes, a giant gong with giant bubbles, ornate costumes of recycled trash, live snakes, and the 40 foot whale skeleton on a flatbed. Ithaca has mounted a flame organ on the top of their bus. Greenfield put holiday lights all over their Mobile Unit for the Christmas parade.

Public events where you’re one of many. Children’s Day, car shows, air shows, rodeos, Ciclovia, Earth Day, Taco Festival, Strawberry Festival, music festivals, holiday festivals, Carnaval; you get the picture. Science can go with anything. 

Family Science Nights, STEM/STEAM Days, etc. Here you can be the whole show if you’re well enough equipped – Fresno and Watsonville have done events for up to 600 people. Or you can join other presenters in a group effort, perhaps at a local college or other institution. 

School Science Days. Greenfield CSW developed an idea where a certain grade level at a school drops the other subjects for a day and does full-content hands-on science all day long to the tune of the state standards for that grade level. Greenfield SCW staff train teachers at a Saturday session on how to do four hands-on projects including some make and take, and then prepare all materials, supplies, and tools. On the afternoon before, this loot is brought to the school and set up in the classrooms, one project for each room. Then on the momentous day, teachers lead their classes rotating from room to room throughout the day until they’ve completed all the activities. Greenfield CSW also rolls in their Science Mobile to set up for the 5th rotation station. Add a wow demo—some sort of explosion usually—to kick it off, and another to wrap it up, and you’ve got a very impressive day for kids and good teacher training on experiential learning baked in. Teachers can also tick off at least five of the standards they are supposed to be teaching, either as grand finales if they’ve already covered them, or intriguing introductions if they have yet to address them. This all takes a bit of funding and a whole lot of logistics, but it’s quite a sight to behold.

Haunted Houses. This is not just another event; it can be the experience of a lifetime for kids and staff. Maybe you’ve been to a lackluster haunted house where things are patently unscary and you stroll through trying to enjoy the ambiance; this is not that. Think more in terms of a giant multilevel obstacle course with cardboard, plywood, and 2x4s, lit only with the faintest of red lights, and CSW staff and regulars installed as scarers around each corner. Tight crawl spaces, ramps leading to slides into thousands of surplus corks, hanging walkways that quiver and shake, glowing and rotating tunnels surrounding railed bridges, complete darkness for several sections necessitating feeling your way forward, minor electrical shocks upon pushing on a door to escape… glorious evil in the funnest spirit. Safety is of course first: one yell brings the lights and instant rescue. Each year, kids leave crying, and laughing, and come back for more time after time. One key element is that kids get to help build it over the preceding month, and then get to help do the scaring as well as go through it. When it’s all over, nothing goes to waste, as the disassembled structure all goes into the supply racks of the CSW. Watsonville and Fresno CSWs have revelled in this endeavor over the years, and made big names for their organizations in the process.  

Special focus community events. This includes events put on by other agencies to bring out families and promote their services: clinics, social services, food banks, job fairs, etc. We’re not too proud to be the side show, and these organizations are often our best collaborators.

Vehicles

It is great to have a company car, and most CSWs have at least one vehicle to forward their programs. Here are some ways that vehicles can support CSW programming. 

• Golf carts or bicycle trailers are great for community events. Set up a solar power system on it with all the components labeled and visible, and it’s like a rolling exhibit in addition to transport. Erik’s Physics Buses are solar powered upon arrival, but so far only mini mobiles—golf carts and tuktuks—are driven with electric power.
• Trucks or trailers are good for getting big, rough donations of wood or exercise machines or carcasses to be cleaned for exhibits. 
• Vans are also good for picking up supplies as well as for securely hauling projects, materials and kids. If seats move easily in and out, all the better. 
• Buses, in addition to vans, may be helpful specifically for hauling kids and families. 
• Box trucks, buses, or minibuses can be used to make a mobile CSW or a mobile museum/Physics Bus.

There is no denying that there is something magical about putting the CSW experience on wheels; kids and adults alike beam with pleasure as they step onto these things and begin to explore. Several CSWs have these Mobile Units in action today in various arrangements, as follows: 

A Mobile Workshop allows you to do all the basic CSW drop-in session activities wherever you can park: school, community center, housing development, mall, park. The smallest mobile CSWs in operation are just a van or box truck with storage set up inside for materials, tools, project models, exhibits and specimens. Tables are whipped out upon arrival, onto which are placed all the good stuff and the fun begins. The biggest mobile Workshops have the tools, materials and workbenches built in. Upon arrival, only a few things need to be moved out—dusty machines and bicycle parts, for example—and the fun can begin. Bigger units enable more possibilities, but are harder to move around and park. 

A Mobile Museum is full of exhiblets. Erik of Ithaca CSW has been creating and running Physics Buses for over 15 years. He feels physics is the gateway science for kids and adults, is most accessible conceptually and practically in an informal education operation, and thus should be promoted above the others. Other CSWs put animals and specimens onto their Mobile Units as well, enabling biology and geology together with the physics. Watsonville is toying with the idea of using a bus to make an “Ark;” they have over 30 reptiles and creepycrawlies and maintain a small flock of showcase poultry as well. These mobile museums are extremely popular, and yet have the limitation that you can’t show up week after week with just the same set of exhibits. Thus…

Combo Units are quite common among CSWs. Salinas has a 40 foot low-floor city bus with workbenches, tools and materials, plus a bunch of exhiblets. When visiting schools, tables are often put up outside to do a make-and-take activity, and the inside is stuffed with more exhibits. At locations visited weekly, a few exhibits are maintained and rotated but the tools and workbenches are made ready for full use to create student-chosen projects. Pittsburgh, Watsonville, Greenfield. and Fresno do similar combo programming with their Mobile Units, some of which are smaller.