The Joys of Mentoring

Let me start by introducing you to the KookaGumJoeys, a group of three little girls ages 8-11 whom I have had the joy of mentoring this year.  While these girls might be tiny, they sure make up for it in their creativity and teamwork!  They met a little over a year ago and since then have become not just good teammates but also the best of friends.  When they aren’t busy researching, building, or programming, they can often be found jumping on the trampoline or playing “Harry Potter.” (Their favourite books!)

The KookaGumJoeys working on the rat

Over this FLL season I have seen each of these girls transform in ways I have never thought possible.  As the judges put it, they have “come out of their shells.”  They have gained confidence, improved their technical abilities, learned how to present, and increased their creative thinking stills.  On the academic side of things I have seen their writing, mathematics, science, reasoning, mechanical, and programming skill vastly improve.  Having said all that, I can’t leave out the pure joy they have through FLL.  They paint their nails, sing, dance, cheer, and so much more!

This past weekend was the Australian FLL National Championship.  Although I have volunteered at this event before, I have never had the joy of coaching a team at this event.  All that changed this year when at the 2nd New South Wales regional, the KookaGumJoeys advanced to Nationals.  Their other coach and I could not have been more proud at that moment.  We never could have dreamt they would have done so well as they did that day.

The KookaGumJoeys in action!

But, at nationals we were shocked.  Our “little” girls did us more than proud.  During the day they became good friends with several students on “Project Bucephalus” last years’ Champion’s award winners. Both teams cheered for each other in the 3rd round at which point their judging sessions were over.

Both teams doing the "YMCA"

During their breaks, they could often be found laughing and chatting with each other.  All the coaches were watching with amazement and joy as these students displayed through their actions the FLL Core Values.

Then came the Award Ceremony.  Due to seating constraints, the teams found themselves at opposite ends of the auditorium but even then, they could be found glancing in each others directions.  Judging by my girls’ faces, I don’t they could have been happier when Project Bucephalus won the Gracious Professionalism Award.  We all knew that this was a team truly deserving of the award.

Hugs and High-Fives

Then, the KookaGumJoeys were presented with an award!  On their way to receive to receive their trophy, they passed by their new found friends who were not only giving them a standing ovation, but hugs and high-fives as well–a joy to behold.

At this point, I was in tears as I normally am!  But, in some small way, I found these tears different.  Although I have received awards before, I have never coached a team like this before.

The KookaGumJoeys after receiving their award

To see these girls go from the shy, quiet, cautious little girls at the start of the season to the bold, confident, friendly girls I saw receiving their award was incredible.  They continue to shock me with their abilities and love for FLL.  They have shown me the joys of mentoring.

Bananas

As some of you might remember, in late 2010 and early 2011 Australia had a lot of flooding.  One of the hardest hit areas was almost all of Queensland in December of 2010.  Then, to make matters worse, in February 2011 Cyclone Yasi hit northern Queensland.

These natural disasters put together have had an impact on almost every person living in Australia.  How you ask?  It turns out most of the bananas grown in Australia are in the area that was hardest hit.  For almost a year, Aussies have had very few bananas in our diet.  At one point, the price of bananas hit $15 a kilogram!  (about $6.80 per pound)  Thankfully, the new banana crop is starting to appear on store shelves and we are now able to get them for about $6 per kilo (about $2.70 per pound).  The other day I had my first banana in almost a year, and it tasted amazingly good!

This year’s FLL theme “Food Factor” got me thinking about how dependant we are on our food supply.  We (most often) go to the grocery story to get our food, they get it from the market and farmers who grow it.  When this supply chain is interrupted, as the banana chain has been recently, the consumers (us!) feel the results–namely higher prices and lower quality.

Maybe that’s why Aussies are currently going bananas over bananas.

What’s in YOUR sack lunch?

Flip is ready for school… he just needs some help figuring out how to pack a safe lunch!

It’s been years since I packed a school lunch for anyone.

Back when I was a kid, my brother and I had these nifty metal lunch boxes decorated with TV and cartoon themes. They also happened to work great as sleds when the roads near our school turned icy in winter. However, after time, these classic pails became covered in dents and rust and their insides smelled like stale milk. I’m pretty sure that food safety was at a minimum (although they’re now considered collector items!).

When my son was little, I went a bit overboard and got him this bulky insulated lunch pail the size of a small suitcase, complete with ice packs. However, all he ever wanted was peanut butter and honey sandwiches – so that made the big thing kind of unnecessary.

Flip, frustratingly enough, is finicky. He doesn’t like peanut butter and insists on ‘brown bagging’ it with something small and easy to carry (he is on the petite size). So, with safety on my mind,  I needed to do some quick research! Luckily, FIRST tweeted a great link for sack lunch safety tips.

Here are some of the basics I learned:

1.  Freeze everything you can, including drinks, yogurt and soft cheeses
2.  Pack the lunch the night before so that everything inside the lunch gets cold
3.  Use ice packs and an insulated bag if the lunch will be kept at room temperature (there are a wide assortment of cool looking insulated bags out there!)
4.  Use nonperishable items like peanut butter sandwiches (except for Flip), whole fruit and vegetables (like cherry tomatoes, grapes, carrots and apples).

Let me know what’s in your sack lunch… and be food safe (while I go deal with a fussy robot…)

- Heidi Buck