We kicked off our 2016 English Language Learners (ELL) Camp with a question to whet our appetites: “¿Tienes hambre para aprender?” (“Are you hungry to learn?”).
Week one at ELL Camp was all about Food and Community—where food comes from, how food affects their lives, and who we share our food with. Food and flavors are very important ingredients in our lives!
Our first day at camp, we were lucky to have guest speakers Elizabeth Roush and Judy Sanders. Elizabeth, a self-published author/illustrator, shared her original story about a baby potato named Spud with our younger students. In the morning, students created their very own food characters like Super Pineapple and Molly the Strawberry!
During our afternoon session, Judy focused on food justice with our older students, opening up their imaginations to the possibilities of community gardens where neighbors can share access to fruits and vegetables. Students used this inspiration to envision their very own food utopias, using the awesome and creative power of the phrase “IMAGINE IF!”
“Imagine if there was a world where food fell from the sky. Where everyone got all the dairy, fruits, grains, and vegetables they needed, even sweets. Then there will be no more people that are hangry. In this world there is no homeless people and there are all these people who are trying to catch food. What was the best part, you asked? Well, everyone has fun and is never mad.” – Emily Lopez
We transformed our writing center into the annual Cafe 826LA on Wednesday, where we surprise students with laughably horrible service and food quality. Our volunteers acted as outlandish waiters, who jokingly asked students for things like foot massages or pretended to be robots. After this wacky and wild restaurant experience, students wrote their very own Yelp reviews to express their strong opinions. One student emphatically wrote:
“The waiter was very rude and she told me to spell the food I wanted. I ordered a peanut butter and publishing sandwich. They do not like kids “=-(“. The food was gross and looked like vomit on a piece of bread. They poisoned the food with invisible boogers. I would not recommend this restaurant because the food was gross and Betsy sneezed on it. #worstrestaurantever #Ibelievethisistheworstrestaurantever.” – Carlos Hernandez
Finally, we capped off our week by writing some sweet poetry. Dedicated a poem to someone they care about using the language of food to write odes because sharing food and literature is part of what makes life good! My favorite part of the day was when students “honey roasted” our camp mascot, Deezy the T-Rex. Students took turns on the microphone laying the compliments thick like honey on Deezy, who was found crying earlier that morning. We all found out that one way to show appreciation and make our friends feel better is by sharing kind words!
In the end, students cooked up some delicious writing. Not only did we have fun, we truly inspired one another to create a world that tastes better and is full of flavor! All of this would not have been possible without all the help of our amazing staff, volunteers, students, and families. Together, we make up one incredible, food-loving community.
~Danielle Perez, 826LA Summer Associate in Mar Vista
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