Michelle Nelson's Blog

woweee - the PSAs were great!

It was great fun seeing all of your creative work on the BIG SCREEN tonight at the Danville Public Library. I liked seeing how your ideas and research related to your finished project. Every PSA was a little different - but they all related well to the overall theme. You guys did it all - you researched, you brainstormed, you wrote, you shot the camera footage, you acted, you edited…you made a finished PSA that you should show off. I am so proud of all of you - I enjoyed meeting you and hope to see you again at Kickapoo ? Good luck with the new school year… Prof./SOS/Betty crocker Michelle

Good Luck!

Wishing you’all good luck with the production of your PSAs! You have such great ideas - it will be fun to see them when they’re complete. I’ve enjoyed getting to know each one of you and teaching you’all about advertising this summer. You have amazing energy, talent, and ideas! I am off soon on vacation with my family, but I look forward to seeing you (and your PSAs) on September 1 at the Danville Public Library. In the meantime, I will be checking up on the blogs to hear about your progress. Enjoy the creativity in shooting your video and editing it. Enjoy the trip to the park - I’m sure there will be more adventures to share - and enjoy the last days/weeks of summer.

Cheers,
SOS Michelle, Dr. Betty Crocker etc etc.

p.s. I was saddened by the news yesterday that Gidget, the Taco Bell dog, had passed away….
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-quick23-2009jul23,0,4725645.story

A+ for Workshop 1

Fantastic class - everyone was so eager to participate and to offer their creative ideas.  I see some real talent in this group - thoughtful ideas, energy, creativity and a mature understanding of media.  I was nervous to teach today because I am used to college students, but these kids did a really great job. They were eager to learn, respectful and fun. I hope they all consider attending UIUC in the future - I’d love to teach them more! I look forward to ‘grading’ their homework - LOL!

S.O.S. - Take Two

Well, Jai’Elle and I were partners on the canoe trip down the river. She decided to take the stern (that means she was steering…) and somehow we managed to hit every rock and needed to get a rescue (just a push off really) from some people who were tubing down the river. After that, we worked out our ‘teamwork’ and did great. We had so much fun going over the ‘rapids’ and we caught up to the others. It was also fun just hanging out with everyone. We learned so much - everyone was able to hit the clay target with the guns (even me!). The kids took awesome photographs, too - I can’t wait to see them. The fishing was kind of cool because you could actually see the fish under the water when they were nibbling on the bait. On our river ‘walk’ (actually digging around the rocks and sand for critters) we saw a deer taking a drink of water and a water snake. I learned that there are no poisonous snakes in Kickapoo Park even though some of the snakes may bite. We also found a bunch of seashells and tiny frogs. It was cool just to sift through the sand and water. At the end of the day, we were happy but dirty, hot, and exhausted! We walked about a ‘deep shower’ and I was happy to take a deep sleep last night. I’m excited to move on to the next phase of the project - teaching the kids how to make a PSA. I sure hope we can capture the fun and adventure that we experienced this week on film.

Shocking Day

What a fun day! I have been to Kickapoo State Park many times before, but I can honestly say that I’ve never had a day quite like this one - and will remember it for a long time! Many firsts for the kids - and for me—goose tagging, fish shocking (who knew it was such a dangerous activity?!), gigantic minnows, huge poison ivy that looked like a tree, and yoga on the clifftop that was somehow both relaxing and muscle-building. The sassafras plant was yummy - or perhaps I was starving by that point of the hike? It was wonderful to see everyone participate in the activities despite the heat and unknowns - such an adventurous group. I look forward to sharing more adventures tomorrow. Thanks to everyone (and to John for keeping the rain away!)

Getting a Pulse on Advertising

Kimberlie sent me the links to the YouTube video interviews of the teens - what a great idea to have the kids interview one another. I wonder how they liked the flip cameras? The quality seemed pretty good. I wanted to assess what the participants knew about advertising before we did the workshops ...seems like they know a lot. I think they’ll be surprised at what goes into actually making an advertisement. This will be fun.

Kickapoo Clean Up Day

Saturdays are normally our chance to relax and hang out as a family - no rushing around to get to school. But this Saturday I roused the family and we set off to Danville for the Clean-up day. Lukas, my nearly 4-year-old, was excited to use a ‘grabber’ to pick up trash items. Paulina, my 2-year-old was happy to wear gloves and trample along the woods. Lukas also learned what a ‘cigarette butte’ and a cigarette was - given the number of them we picked up at the side of the road!  “That’s icky!” is Paulina’s newest phrase. We saw Rickey and Brandon picking up trash, too and we hung out with them for awhile. It was a very well-organized event. The children loved seeing Spotless the dog - playing on the playground and with the special games that UIUC extension brought - and the hotdogs and cheetos are always appreciated. We felt happy that we helped clean up the park.

Adventure and Enthusiasm

Despite the damp weather, the kickoff meeting at Kickapoo Landing was filled with adventure and enthusiasm. Although I had my ‘work clothes’ on, I happily jumped aboard Shelley’s paddle boat. I was pleased to be a backseat rider - that is until the chain came off (apparently, Shelley’s legs were too strong for the paddles…!) and we ended up stranded in the middle of the pond. For a moment, I feared all my fellow boat-riders would hop onto another boat, but for the most part, we stuck together. Shelley & I tried using our arms to communicate S-O-S, but somehow we resorted to shouting. Soon someone from Prairie Rivers Network canoed over - fixed the chain - and rescued us. It was fun to see the teens address their first adventure and I’m proud to say that no one freaked out. I hope we have more adventures this summer, all with happy endings:) The rest of the night built on that energy from the ‘rescue’—I was so happy to meet and hear from the participants and their family members!  It looks like a great group to work with - I’m looking forward to summer in the park.