China Summer Camps

During the summer of 2015 I went to China to teach science and theater summer camps to elementary and middle school students who for the most part spoke very little English. It was quite an adventure! I enjoyed working with the students and their translators, and I got to see some amazing sights!

In China science is taught through boring lecture to silently sitting students. We had fun with hands-on games and activities that had everyone up and moving around, playing games and learning in a way that showed them that science is not boring!

Some of the places I was able to visit when I wasn't teaching:

The Great Wall, of course, and the Summer Palace, where the Emperor would vacation

The Forbridden City (where the Emperor once lived) and Tienanmen Square

The Canals and Gardens of the beautiful city of Suzhou

Millenium City Park, a theme park in Zhengzhou based upon China from thousands of years ago. There we saw reenactments of horse battles and the amphibious assault of a fortress.

The Longmen Grottoes (cliffside carvings of thousands of Buddhas) and Shanghai shopping

I got to ride mag-lev bullet trains and eat wonderful food, and had my feet cleaned/massaged by fish!

Other adventures included seeing the Temple of Heaven, the Shaolin Temple (birthplace of Kung Fu), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Museum, Olympic Park (home of the 2008 Olympic Games), and many other temples, bazaars, and markets. A very, very fun trip!