Actividades: Semana Trés

Máscaras:
Vamos a hacer máscaras usando periódicos, botellas plásticas, y otras cosas recicladas. Hemos enviado una noticia a los niños pidiendo traer los materiales. Planificamos a divertirnos mientras reforzando la importancia de reciclando.

Además, hicimos acuerdos con nuestros vecinos y negocios para guardar periódicos para Equipo Verde. Gracias a vecinos!!

Para esta actividad vamos a usar la escuela Nicolás Javier Gorivar para espacio para arte. Agradecemos para la generosidad del director, los profesores, y los guardadores para préstanos su tiempo, espacio, y apoyo. Vamos a usar la escuela para cuatro días con la ayuda de los guardadores de la escuela. También, la maestra de inglés va a guardar las mascaras en su clase mientras están secando.

Nosotros esperamos a continuar con otra actividad de arte en la próxima semana y montar una gran inauguración de las obras de los niños por el siguiente Domingo en la plaza común de Guápulo.

Activities: Week Three

Face-Masks:
We are going to make face-masks out of newspapers, plastic bottles, and whatever good recyclables we come across. We sent a note home with the children asking them to bring newspapers and plastic bottles. We plan to have a lot of fun while, at the same time, reenforcing the importance of recycling.

We have also made agreements with neighbors and businesses to save newspapers for us. Thanks neighbors!!!

For this activity we are going to use the local school for art-space. We are very gracious for the generosity of the school director, teachers, and employees for lending us their space and time. We will be using the school for four different days with the help of the school's groundskeepers. Also, the English teacher is going to store the masks in her classroom while they dry.

We expect to continue with another art activity in the next week with a grand unveiling on the following Sunday in the public plaza of Guápulo.

Week two review!

We just got back home from the Thursday activity and are very excited because we can really see this program taking shape. Luz Marina, our guest speaker, came today and talked with the kids about global environmental changes including technonic-plate shifting and global warming. She was among three other volunteers that joined us today. We had one from England named Martin, Luz from Columbia, and Xavier and Ivan from Ecuador.

After the talk we continued our program. The kids were amazing. They put forth so much positive energy and really seemed to have a lot of pride in themselves and each other.

Last week we asked the kids to bring some organic goodies for the worms. We could not believe how much food they brought on Tuesday! The worms are very happy.

Both days we had somewhere between thirty and forty kids, so we are delighted to have so many volunteers participating with us. Besides those from today, Caroline from France, Ryan from the U.S., and Jeff from Canada volunteered on Tuesday.

Guest Speaker

We are hoping to have a guest speaker, Luz Marina Ferero, on Thursday to talk with the kids about climate change and what we need to think about and plan for in the future.

Actividades: Semana Dos

Abono para los gusanos
Vamos a comprobar las fundas de basura para ver si hay comidas apropriadas para los gusanos. Las pone en la caja.
Materiales: guantes

Pillo de Hospital
Cuando una había pillado, el/ella está muerto y debe ponerse en la césped y espera para otras a vienen y cargarle a la hospital en el centro de la cancha. Después, el muerto está revivido y puede continuar jugando. Los que cargan una persona muerta no pueden recibir pillos.

Mamá Mezclado
Los niños, excepto que uno, forman un círculo con los manos conectados. Después, ellos hacen un nudo con el círculo sin soltando los manos. La persona otra tiene la responsabilidad para desatar el nudo.

Banga-Banga- Bøf
Todos forman un círculo y una camina alrededor tocando cada persona mientras diciendo “banga,” “banga,” “banga”…y “BØF!” La persona que se llama “bøf” debe correr contra la persona quien fue diciendo banga banga bøf en direcciones opósitos. La una quien llegue a la posición vacía gane y la otra está la persona diciendo "banga, banga, bøf" siguiente.

Pelota redonda
Un juego que aparece como “baseball” pero es más fácil y no con muchas reglas.

Levantarse con los brazos unidos
Dos personas sentarse en el suelo con espalda contra espalda y necesitan conectar los brazos y intentan levantarse de pie.

Week Two Activities

Worm Bin Goodies
Go through the bags of compostables and see if the kids brought appropriate things. Add them to the worm bin. Talk to the kids more about what is good for the worms and what is not, inclucing how to take care of them and make them thrive.
Materials: gloves, bags of organic waste, worm bins

Hospital Tag
Tag. When someone gets tagged they ‘die’ and must lie down on the ground. In order to be cured, two other players must come and pick them up by the legs and arms and take them to the ‘hospital.’ Once there, the dead person is alive and back in the game. The people carrying the dead person cannot be tagged during the transport.

Mixed-up Mom
The kids form a long line holding hands. Then they are mixed up by twisting and knotting up the line without letting go of hands. The person who is "it" is in charge of untying the knot.

Banga-Banga- Bøf
(Duck-Duck-Goose) The person who is "it" walks around a circle of kids touching each one on the back saying ‘knock,’ ‘knock,’ ‘knock’ until coming to one that he/she decides will be it and says ‘beef!’ when touching that kids back. They then run around the circle in opposite directions and whoever gets back to the empty spot in the circle first wins. The loser is then it.

Round ball

Standing up
Two people sit on the ground facing opposite directions with their backs touching. They then link arms and try to stand up. Hilarious.

Note for the next session: Have kids bring in old newspaper, paper scraps, and large plastic bottles to make paper mache masks.

Week One!!

Tuesday: The first day of Equipo Verde was a greater success than we ever dared to hope for. Around 30 kids came! It was indescribably satisfying to finally get to do what we've been planning and working toward for so long. The children received the program well, were enthusiastic, and actively participated in the activities.

Thursday: The second day we had a lot of the same participants from Tuesday as well as many new ones with a total of around 20 kids. Because of repeat kids we had some major chaos at points (same activities, less stimulation) however, when we made the worm bin we were delighted to see how much the children had learned on Tuesday. They honestly could have done the presentation themselves. They also had a great time letting the worms roll around in their hands before adding them to their new home.

In General: During the garbage collection competitions the kids were incredibly hard workers. It took no more than 5 minutes each time to fill up 20 bags of garbage resulting in a much healthier environment around the soccer field (what we call the Equipo Verde island). We feel that the kids have a great attitude towards the program and are very interested and excited in what is to come. We can't wait.

Volunteers: We would like to say "thank you" to all of the volunteers that came this week. Jess and Brian from the U.S., Caroline and Guillermo from France, thank you so much, you guys rock!!!

Equipo Verde Actividades!

Introducciónes

Los Ejercicios de Confianza:

Caer con Ojos Cerrados:
2-3 participantes, una persona se cierre los ojos y se caye con la confianza de que sus compañeros se la van a agarrar.

Correr Ciego en la Dirección de la Pared:
Un grupo de participantes forma una pared humano con sus brazos vinculados aproximadamente 20 metros delante de una persona “ciega” (con los ojos cerrados). Entonces, esta persona empieza a correr en la dirección de la pared humana con confianza de que una cierta persona elegida (que está un metro y medio al lado de la pared) le diga que se pare antes que el ciego se choque con e la pared.

El Guantelete:
Las participantes forman dos líneas paralelas y orientadas frente a frente, con cada uno cortando el aire con las manos. Una participante corre entre las líneas con la confianza de que las participantes se paren con la acción de cortar cuando él o ella se acerca.

El Círculo Regazo:
Todos forman un círculo que es muy apretado y se vuelven a la izquierda. Entonces, todos se sientan a la misma vez en el regazo de la persona atrás. Al fin, todos se están sentando en los regazos, con cada un apoyando al otro.

Una Competencia de Colección de Basura:
Los niños van a salir en la area de la cancha de fútbol con fundas con un límite de tiempo y ver cual equipo puede recoger más basura. Después miramos en la basura y vemos si es possible usar las materiales para el abono.
Los Materiales: Las fundas (de supermercado), unos guantes

Caja de Gusanos
Vamos a mostrar los niños cómo a construir una caja de gusanos. Esta es una fácil manera para hacer un abono en su casa. Los gusanos pueden vivir en una caja plástico con periódicos viejos, basura orgánica, humedad, y aire. Los comen la basura orgánica y crean tierra nueva. No es importante cual parte de año está, la caja es portátil y no hay olor fuerte.
Cuando tenemos bastante tierra nueva vamos a usarlo para tener una actividad para plantar aguacates.

Una anuncio para la semana que viene: Pedir que los niños traigan una fundita con basura orgánica para el abono.

Activites: Week One

Below are our plans for our first two Equipo Verde meetings:

Introductions

Trust exercises:

Classic Trust Exercise
2-3 participants, One person closes his/her eyes and falls trusting that their partner's will catch them.

Running Blind
A group of people form a human wall with their arms linked and stand 20 meters away from the ‘blind’ person. This person then begins to run at full speed toward the wall trusting that a chosen ‘helper’ will tell him/her to stop before crashing into the wall.

Gauntlet
Two lines of people face each other chopping their hands in the air in front of them. The person who is it must trust that as they run through the line the people closest to them will stop chopping their hands and let them pass un-chopped.

Lap Circle
Everyone stands in a circle very close together and turns to the left. Then everyone must sit down and back at the same time so that everyone is sitting on eachothers laps and supporting one another.

Garbage Collection Competition:
Form teams and have the children go around the soccer field and see which team can collect the most garbage in a limited amount of time. Look at the garbage and see if any of it could be composted.
Materials: Bags (supermarket bags), gloves

Worm Bin
We are going to show the kids how to make a worm bin. This is an easy way to make compost in one’s own home. The worms live in a little habitat made of wet newspaper and organic waste. They eat the organic waste and create new soil! It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, the box is portable, and there is no strong oder. When we have enough new soil we are going to use it to have an activity planting avocado plants.

Note for the next session: Ask kids to bring a small bag of compostables.

The volunteer dinner!

Last night (Wednesday) the volunteer dinner and information meeting took place. We expected around 15 people to show up, but we ended up being around 20 people.
The meeting was a great success with a lot of good energy from the volunteers and they were full of good ideas for activities for the children.
Gretchen and I are very excited about this upcoming Tuesday where the program will start. There is still a lot of things to prepare and take care of before we are ready, but everything is coming together and it looks very promising.

We will also like to thank all the people all around the world who are supporting Equipo Verde!

Best regards Gretchen and Mia

Equipo Verde es un programa juvenil en la comunidad de Guápulo en Quito, Ecuador. La idea por este proyecto fue inspirada por los niños de Guápulo y la oportunidad de participación activa en el desarrollo comunitario.

Nuestra misión:

Es fortalecer la juvetud de esta comunidad específica para que se sienta orgullo y responsibilidad por el bienestar general del barrio y sus integrantes comunitarios con una enfasís en el medio ambiente. Buscamos promover el manejo sostenible de basura através de acciones comunitarias con los niños. Estas práticas incluyen el reciclaje, el abonamiento, y algunos proyectos locales de limpieza comunitaria. Además, nuestro proyecto busca promover el autoestima de los participantes y crear conocimiento y respecto por las diferencias culturales e interpersonales através de actividades que animan el trabajo de equipo, el análisis crítico, y el placer de sí mismos en un ambiente positivo. Esperamos que este proyecto facilite el desarrollo de lideres juveniles y que integre la comunidad internacional con la comunidad local.