Bedford Half Day

Bedford Schools early release on Wednesday 2/29/12 – After School Program Transportation and Drop In coverage provided. Call (781) 270-4800 or visit www.guardup.net for more information.

Winter Break Full Day Adventure

The Winter That Wasn’t - February 2/20 thru 2/24 : Full day sword and story adventures for young heroes during the February school vacation. King’s Watch is experiencing an unusual heat wave…in the middle of winter! No one seems to be concerned with the fact that they don’t have to bundle up this winter, but Elder Bat has called the Heroes of Sidleterra forth to investigate.

Who could be heating up the world of King’s Watch? How are they doing it? And should they even be stopped? Rumors abound that there may be a Phoenix loose in the lands…could this be true?! Come investigate a mystery and bring your friends, your foam swords (or use ours) and your Nerf blasters – because something is up to mischief and we need YOU to set things right in this week-long full day adventure.

Extended Day option available from 8am-6pm. Pre-registration required.

This event is intended for ages 5-15.

New to Guard Up events? Try a free Friday night event first and make sure you like it before signing up.

Call (781) 270-4800 for pricing and options or visit www.guardup.net.

Dungeons & Dragons Night

Dragon Slayers – February 17 at 7pm-9pm: The heroes have been recruited on a massive dragon hunt. Evil dragons have been working together despite their normal selfish ways. Every hero in the countryside has been called to help fight off these ferocious beasts.

Teams will be made to fight off these threats. Black, blue, green, red, and white dragons. Which will you choose to fight? Who will survive? And why are they attacking in the first place?! Come join us for a night of dice rolling and dragon slaying. Bring your dice and your friends to this adventure.

This event is intended for ages 8 and up. $20/person.

First event is free – call for details. Pre-registration required.

More information at www.guardup.net or call (781) 270-4800.

NERF Night: 2/17

Blaster Ball at 7pm-9pm: Why should the swords get all the fun? Imagine this: What would a sports competition look like if all the participants were given blasters? Help us find out. Dodge, duck, and dart as you accomplish your goals and take down your rivals. Who will come out on top and who will be left empty-handed. Join us for some friendly NERF blasting. Bring your blasters (or use ours) and your friends!

This event is intended for ages 8 and up. $20/person.

First event is free – call for details. Pre-registration required.

More information at www.guardup.net or call (781) 270-4800.

Bedford & Lexington Half Days

Bedford Schools early release on Wednesday 2/15/12 and Lexington Schools early release day on Thursday 2/16/12 – After School Program Transportation and Drop In coverage provided. Call (781) 270-4800 or visit www.guardup.net for more information.

Adventure Night: 2/10

The Elemental Stone at 7pm-9pm: The heroes have discovered the secret of the Beast of Winter’s Touch. But the person responsible has escaped, and they may still have the Elemental Stone. The heroes must track down the person who is responsible and bring them to justice! Everywhere the Stone travels weather patterns change. Nature itself will be challenging the brave heroes tracking down this villain. Will you be a part of the legend of saving Siddleterra from the world’s first renegade meteorologist? Come join us and save the world! Bring your friends and your foam sword (or use ours) to this winter adventure.

This event is intended for ages 6 and up. $20/person.

First event is free – call for details. Pre-registration required.

More information at www.guardup.net or call (781) 270-4800.

Bedford & Lexington Half Days

Bedford Schools early release on Wednesday 2/8/12 and Lexington Schools early release day on Thursday 2/9/12 – After School Program Transportation and Drop In coverage provided. Call (781) 270-4800 or visit www.guardup.net for more information.

Sword Night: 2/3

Sword-ball Super Bowl at 7pm-9pm: It’s the playoff season for sword fighting! It’s the newest game to have been invented in the last few seconds. Join us for a friendly competition where you can swordfight as you try to score points. This game is for those who love sports and for those who have never played a game themselves. The game may change but the fun won’t. Bring your friends and your foam swords (or use ours).

This event is intended for ages 6 and up. $20/person.

First event is free – call for details. Pre-registration required.

More information at www.guardup.net or call (781) 270-4800.

Star Wars Birthday Party

Do we offer a “Star Wars Birthday Party”?

We have foam swords (light sabers), NERF Blasters, costumes and stories to fit the world of George Lucas. But the truth of the matter is that only a company that owns the rights to use the term can run an actual Star Wars Birthday Party.

We do our best to accommodate you or your child’s passion for the realm of Lucas – and the party boy or party girl can refer to our characters and world in any manner they wish. We just can’t promote the party as something that is endorsed by Lucas Arts.

We hope you will consider our events and parties and join us for an adventure from long, long ago and far, far away.

For more information on our own version of a Star Wars Birthday Party:

http://guardup.com/sword-nerf-birthday-parties-events/

The Science of Play Part 2

(part 1 and other articles can be found at our Sword Classes Blog)

In my last article, I started an overview of the Dr. Stuart Brown’s book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. I consider this book to be one of my top picks for parents, educators and any adult who plays a mentoring role in the life of a child.

I will continue my review of the book along with some personal input regarding the importance of play in the lives of children, teens and adults.

In the chapter called “Playing Together”, Dr. Brown makes a fascinating discovery during his interview with a fifty year old woman about how she used to play with Barbie Dolls when she was nine years old and how it foreshadowed her (and her friend’s) relationships later in life.

The woman explained that when she and her friend dug the Barbies out of storage, they talked about how they played with them. Her preferred pretend style was the “damsel in distress” as a means to attract men. Her friend’s style was more of a hipster who smoked cigarettes and wore Ken’s shirts.

Today, upon reflection, the woman realized that after her own 3 marriages and her friend always being with a guy but never being married, that their play style seemed to foreshadow their lives. As well, neither of them was into playing with baby dolls… which was interesting in that both women never had children.

After I read this, I couldn’t help but recall my own childhood play habits. At the age of nine, I never played with Barbie Dolls. My preference, by far, was small action figures called “Adventure People”. I loved Adventure People because they always came with really cool safari jeeps, scuba gear, rock climbing and outdoor adventure equipment.

Go figure, I went on to become an underwater videographer for awhile and I met my husband in Rock Climbing School. Our honeymoon was spent camping, hiking and whitewater rafting. After our 20^thanniversary, we went dog sledding and snowmobiling. Our play as adults is simply an actual version of our youthful pretend.

Take a moment to think back on your own childhood style of play. Did your play theme foreshadow your current life?

What do you do now that can be considered “play”? It doesn’t have to fit the common notion of play… serious hobbies and competitive sports can be play time for adults. If you are fortunate, some part of your work can also be considered play. At Guard Up, the majority of our business involves dressing up in costumes, playing characters or monsters, and making up stories. Yes, there is still the business part of it… but every person who wants to has a chance to play.

In his book, Dr. Brown quotes Isaac Asimov: “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny…’”

He provides an excellent example of William Henry Perkin, who was trying to synthesize quinine back in 1856 and ended up with a sticky, black mess. However, William was also an artist and tried thinning the substance with alcohol out of curiosity. He ended up creating the first purple chemical dye and making purple cloth (heretofore, very rare and expensive) quite affordable.

You can imagine this young man (only 18 years old at the time), examining this sticky, black mess and taking a moment to dilute it to get a better look at it. At some point, he likely uttered the words “That’s funny…” and his play became an invention that ushered in the “mauve decade” in the 1890s.

Dr. Brown also shares an idea that touches upon a concept elaborated upon by Joseph Campbell in The Power of Myth. Literature and mythology is filled with stories of the hero who must break away from the trodden path and take a lonely, perilous journey that culminates in a great struggle. The ending often entails the triumphant hero returning to his or her home, stronger and wiser, and bearing something of benefit to the community.

Playing pretend gives children the chance to envision themselves as that hero… to imagine the challenges, the loneliness and the struggle – and to persevere through what lies before them. It serves as the infrastructure for their own life story… where they come to realize, to paraphrase Ralf Waldo Emerson, that what lies inside them is greater than what lies before or behind them.

Play time is the first activity to get sacrificed when parents feel that their children are not developing the skills necessary for college admission or a career that can pay the bills. Unfortunately, it is play time that is largely responsible for the development of our creativity and the inspiration for our desire to discover. It is also the “testing grounds” for the formation of our relationships as well as the foundation of our self image later in life.

Watch a child play… get down on the floor, at their level, and immerse yourself within their story. You may learn more about who this child is… and who they will be… than any school report card can tell you.

Meghan Gardner
Guard Up! After School Program
www.MassachusettsAfterSchool.com

For more articles, visit our Sword Classes Blog

Videos

(part 1 and other articles can be found at our Sword Classes Blog)