My CAS projects

What is my overall goal here?

Every year, I try to embark on my own CAS project. I am only adding what I have begun since the pandemic as I realize that you may understand what kinds of experiences constitute a CAS project. Here, I share what I have done.

2022-2023 school year: camping supplies organization

Over the course of year, I organized and logged all of my camping gear for easier access. 

2020-2021 school year: backyard transformation

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Description

Over the course of the next few months, I want to transform my backyard so that my kids and the neighbors, properly masked, can hang out together even after the rain has fallen. Over the next 4-6 months, I plan to grade my backyard, lay backing, and put down artificial turf, add string lights to the side deck and backyard, and build a hinged climbing wall so that the kids can safely climb over the fence. I plan to use my father-in-law to help me plan and build parts of the frame. I will spend asynchronous Mondays and the weekends to work on my backyard and these projects. I assume that the entire transformation will take 30-40 hours and require about $1500 total for turf and materials, the climbing wall and materials, and any labor that I may need to pay for.

Learning Outcomes and goals

LO: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

LO bullet: is able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, some more developed than others.

Goal: My goal is to take the advice of my wife and ask for help when I am unsure of my plan or my skills in some of the concrete and lumber work for the surround and the umbrella stands. An additional goal is to finish this project in its entirety instead of letting it drag on.

1st reflection

ACTION: We had a quote for $1000 minimum to install the artificial turf from a local company but one that had no experience. So, we decided to do it ourselves. Just unloading the turf was a feat in and of itself. On one of the rainiest days of October, the delivery truck arrived and the delivery man asked where the forklift was. I didn’t rent a forklift. The driver then explained that he could not lift the 300-pound roll. Mind you, it was a hot fall day in pouring rain. He improvised by tying a strap to the roll while I used our Tahoe to drag the roll from the truck. We then spent 30 minutes trying to roll it to the curb. Over the next 2 weeks, we unfurled the 55 foot x 12 foot roll on the street in the middle of the day, cut it to partially fit, rerolled it, and had 6 neighbors help us take it to the backyard. I had spent about 10 hours weeding, removing rocks, grading, and tamping the backyard for drainage and a flat surface. We spent a few days letting the turf acclimate and stretch out and about 6 hours rolling it out, staking the corners, and creating a full surround.

REFLECTION: I could never have completed this task without the help of my neighbors and my wife. The brute strength necessary to move the roll forced me to ask for help, but I did not have a great plan for cementing the white PVC poles for the umbrellas and creating a lumber surround and needed my friend with more experience. I was humbled by this project. I am normally a planner rather than a doer and overthink everything I do. I mean, have you read over the CAS descriptors? That is overthinking. I spent the better part of the summer planning this project and researching everything from turf styles to underlayment. I think I may know more facts about turf than anyone in Alexandria. The only thing I do not know how to do is lay it properly or well. There are still a few ripples, so I have delayed the final cuts, taping, and stakes. That failure to follow through has plagued me for years. I have a plan, but I do not execute. Why do today what I can put off until tomorrow? However, I am proud of the work I have completed. Last night, the kids were out in the cold until after 7 p.m. because the backyard is now completely lit. Additionally, we spent less than $20 on PVC pipes and concrete for the umbrella poles (which I have yet to paint) instead of spending $300 on a 100-pound umbrella stand. Even though I have tackled much of the project alone, I was able to take the advice of most of my neighbors if not always my wife and improve the plan I had created over 3-4 months. I am pushing to finish by the weekend so that I can enjoy a sense of accomplishment over Thanksgiving.

SYNTHESIS: The obvious skill for me to apply to other areas of my life is to complete a few household projects: hanging a new shelf, installing some threshold in the bathroom, fixing a hole in the upstairs office wall, etc. I spend more time tackling new projects than completing the unfinished ones. I have now asked my wife to help me prioritize our household task list and complete one project every Monday. A more abstract connection is to help me prioritize all of my work: I have been reading The Autobiography of Ben Franklin’s. I am inspired by his nightly reflection where he asked What Good Have I Done? Then, he created a list of what tasks he needed to complete the next day. He spent the mornings reviewing his task list and then asked himself What Good Shall I Do Today? He capitalized at random. So, I am beginning to follow this plan and seeing that I am much more focused in the mornings before class and in prioritizing a morning card game or walk with the kids or a game of chess or checkers at night instead of dwelling on what I may need to do. I have gained time by focusing a few minutes on my to-do list instead of keeping it in me noggin. I now write down these tasks and cross them off more frequently.