STEM Archives - Guardian Adventures

Hey there, Summer Camp Directors!

Let’s dive into how you can make your camp unforgettable, not just during the summer but all year round. Imagine keeping your campers and staff hooked with epic stories and adventures, even when they’re not at camp. Here’s how you can use online LARPs (Live Action Role Playing) and Zoom (or other video conference platform) to keep the camp spirit alive…

1. 1. 1. Leave Them Hanging: End your summer with a bang and a cliffhanger! It’ll keep your campers thinking about camp all year, eager to jump back into the story when it goes online.
    2. Zoom Into Adventure: Set up regular online meet-ups where your campers can continue their quests. It’s a great way to keep the story rolling and the creativity (and learning if this is an EduLARP) growing.
    3. Level Up: Encourage your campers to “power up” their characters in the off-season. If you run a Guild Hall or other means for campers to increase their in-game skills then you can do an online version of this during the online LARPs.
    4. Dive Deeper: Run some sessions that explore your LARP’s world. The more your campers know about the land and its lore, the more invested they’ll get.
    5. Make New Friends: Use these online LARPs to help newbies understand how the game works and make friends before summer even starts. Nothing like shared adventures to bond over, right?
    6. Get Creative with Staff: Let your staff head up the storytelling (as long as it is in keeping with your mission and the world of the LARP you have created). They can help evolve the plot and bring fresh ideas that will make next summer even more awesome.
    7. Feedback is Gold: After each online session, ask what everyone thought. This helps you tweak things to make your LARP adventures even better. One thing to remember: When you run an emotionally intense session, even if it is over Zoom, always include a Debrief at the end so that the campers can process the their feelings about the adventure in a safe environment. This has a significant impact on the retention and use of new knowledge if your camp uses LARP to explore SEL or STEM topics.
    8. Off Season Revenue: Think about charging a small fee for the off-season sessions. It’s a win-win: extra funds for you, continuous adventure for them. And the events are not weather dependent!
    9. Global Overnight Camper & Staff Reach: Off-season Zoom-based LARPs can extend your overnight camp’s reach beyond your region, inviting kids and potential staff from all around the world to join in the fun. This global connection not only enriches your camp community with diverse perspectives and cultures but also allows international campers to make friends, familiarize themselves with your camp’s culture, and get excited about possibly attending in person in the future. It’s a great way to build a worldwide camp family and showcase your camp’s unique experiences to a global audience.
    10. Tease Them for Next Summer: Drop hints, teasers, and cool updates about what’s coming up in the camp’s story and activities. It keeps the hype going and might even attract new faces – especially if your campers are allowed to invite their friends.

An in-person event idea is Mini-LARPs for Locals. If you run day camps, how about in-person mini-LARP events nearby during the off-season? Keep your local campers engaged and excited and encourage them to bring their friends.

If you keep the adventure going all year, you’re not just a summer camp; you’re a year-round community. Your campers and staff will be more engaged than ever and excited for summer to roll back around. Let’s make camping more than a summer thing – let’s make it a lifelong adventure!

Guardian Adventures provides LARP and game consulting and program development for museum and science centers, summer camps, amusement & attraction industries, and more.

October 18 at 10am EDT on Zoom

(16:00 GMT+2 in Geneva, Switzerland)

THIS EVENT HAS RUN.

CHECK OUT THE FREE PHANTOM PHYSICS COURSE ON HOW TO RUN THIS IN YOUR CLASSROOM.

We hope you will join us next year during STEM Week!

Join us for an exciting online adventure:

Quantum Manor is a grand, mysterious mansion where Dr. Anna Lysis Quark, a renowned particle physicist, once lived. Rumor has it that she discovered a ‘hidden particle’ that could answer unsolved mysteries of the universe, but it vanished with her. Participants need to take on the role of scientists to unlock clues that teach basic physics knowledge while revealing the location of the particle. This is a Zoom-based interactive adventure for ages 8-10 that runs 30 minutes.

This is a free an online event funded by Mass STEM Week for ages 8-10

How it works:

Register below by October 17th. There are limited spots so be sure to register ASAP.
Teachers: You may register as a student and project the screen on your board (in presentation mode), then allow your class to vote on their next move. In this case, we will not need all of your students to register, just you.
Students: You will be emailed instructions with the Zoom link. Teachers only: If Zoom is unavailable to your school, let us know what conference platform you can use.
Make sure to have your name display on Zoom be the same as your registered Student name or you may not be admitted to the event.
You should have some comfort in navigating Zoom reactions and turning on and off your mic. Parents can assist if a student is struggling with the controls.
If you are more than 5 minutes late, you may not be accepted into the event as the game will begin promptly.
You do not need to know any physics in order to participate
If we have a teacher register an entire class as a presentation, we will attempt to find a date/time for your class only.

If you have questions contact us via our website. Are you an educator? Fee free to share this page so parents can register their students in your class if they are attending individually instead of in presentation mode.

In order to participate, please fill out the form below no later than Tuesday, October 17th. There are limited spots available on each day so please register soon.

This game was developed through a Massachusetts STEM Week grant from the Northeast STEM Network and with materials and permission from CERN.

Live Action Role Play (LARP) provides an engaging and interactive platform that allows participants to immerse in a narrative world and experience stories firsthand. When you integrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) elements it becomes an EduLARP. This lets you not only offer educational opportunities but also add depth and complexity to your story.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to seamlessly incorporate STEM into your EduLARP, amplifying the narrative through scientific intrigue. If you are using our free Universal Game System Lite, we have provided you with examples for each of the themes covered in that LARP system:

1. How will STEM fit into your Story?

Determine how STEM will fit into your story’s universe. Whether it’s a post-apocalyptic world that relies on renewable energy or a medieval setting with rudimentary machines, ensure the science serves the story.

- Zombies: Discover the formula to reverse the zombie condition.
- Medieval Fantasy: Alchemists use techniques to transform elements.
- Superhero: Science holds the key to amplifying or understanding powers.
- Space: Exploration is driven by new scientific breakthroughs.
- Spy: Technology is pivotal for deciphering critical information.
- Nature Protectors: Science aids in conservation and understanding ecosystems.

2. Which STEM concepts do you want to explore?

Then start identifying the STEM concepts that you want to incorporate into your LARP according to the theme. For example, if you want to focus on engineering, you can use puzzles that require players to create machines or structures. If you want to add math, use puzzles that require players to solve equations or calculate probabilities. This can encourage your players to use their problem-solving skills and also show how to apply STEM concepts in problem solving.

- Zombies: Delve into biology and viral studies.
- Medieval: Explore simple mechanics and alchemy.
- Superhero: Dive into physics and genetic mutations.
- Space: Astronomy and advanced propulsion systems are key.
- Spy: The art of cryptography and decoding is paramount.
- Nature Protectors: Understand ecology and conservation.

3. What kind of STEM vocabulary can you introduce?

To make your LARP more educational, introduce STEM-related vocabulary that players can use to describe the concepts that they are working with. This can include terms like “engineering,” “physics,” or “programming.” By using these terms, players can begin to understand the underlying concepts behind the challenges they are presented with.

- Zombies: Terms like “antidote”, “contagion”, and “mutation”.
- Medieval: “Leverage”, “fulcrum”, and “transmutation”.
- Superhero: “Kinetics”, “mutation”, and “acceleration”.
- Space: “Orbit”, “gravity well”, and “spectrometry”.
- Spy: “Cipher”, “algorithm”, and “encryption”.
- Nature Protectors: “Biodiversity”, “conservation”, and “habitat”.

4. What kinds of props will elevate the experience?

Invest in quality props that simulate real-world STEM equipment. This could range from lab equipment for experiments to simple pulley systems. Authenticity can greatly enhance immersion.

- Zombies: Microscope slides with “infected blood.”
- Medieval: Mock alchemical instruments.
- Superhero: Gadget blueprints.
- Space: Telescope or star charts.
- Spy: Cipher wheels.
- Nature Protectors: Sample collection kits.

5. What puzzles will drive the Narrative?

One way to integrate STEM into your LARP is to create challenges that require players to apply the STEM concepts you introduce to solve problems in a way that the solution pertains to the story. This not only adds a new level of excitement to the game, but it also makes the challenges more exciting by propelling the player through the story.

- Zombies: Discovering the right biological compound for a cure.
- Medieval: Crafting a pulley system to draw water during a drought.
- Superhero: Constructing a gadget harnessing sound waves.
- Space: Navigating the cosmos using star maps.
- Spy: Decoding an encrypted message using mathematical sequences.
- Nature Protectors: Identifying species through DNA analysis.

6. How to deliver the educational concepts?

Whenever players encounter a STEM element, provide a brief educational background. This can be done through NPCs (Non-Player Characters) who are experts in the field or through in-game texts.

- Zombies: An NPC describes virus transmission.
- Medieval: An elder explains gear mechanisms.
- Superhero: A scientist NPC elucidates sound wave principles.
- Space: An astronaut NPC teaches about constellations.
- Spy: A mentor figure introduces encryption methods.
- Nature Protectors: A biologist NPC talks about local flora and fauna.

7. How to allow for Trial and Error?

Real-world STEM often involves hypothesis testing and iteration. Design your challenges in a way that encourages players to think critically, try different solutions, and learn from their mistakes. So plan in enough time during the challenges for failure and new attempts.

- Zombies: Test various compounds before finding the cure.
- Medieval: Iterate on pulley design.
- Superhero: Refine gadget functionalities.
- Space: Correcting navigation errors.
- Spy: Testing different decryption keys.
- Nature Protectors: Hypothesize on the best habitats for species.

8. Where can you incorporate Collaborative Learning?

Easy: Design STEM challenges that require collaboration. For example, a complex machine might need multiple players to operate different parts in sequence. This promotes teamwork and reinforces the idea that many scientific endeavors are collaborative in nature.

- Zombies: Collaborate to “synthesize” a cure.
- Medieval: Working together to operate a trebuchet.
- Superhero: Team up to calibrate a “power enhancer.”
- Space: Group navigation through a cosmic “minefield.”
- Spy: Assemble pieces of a deciphered message.
- Nature Protectors: Collaboratively conduct a “species count.”

9. What’s next? Seek Feedback and Iterate

After your LARP event, gather feedback from participants on the STEM elements as well as the story and interactions. Understand what worked, what didn’t, and what areas can be improved. Use this feedback to refine your approach in subsequent events.

- Zombies: Which scientific aspects intensified the survival feeling?
- Medieval: Were the mechanical tasks engaging and educational?
- Superhero: Which gadgets seemed most plausible?
- Space: Was the navigation challenge too easy or hard?
- Spy: Was the code-breaking sequence intuitive?
- Nature Protectors: Did the environmental science tasks feel impactful?

The above gives you a starting point for integrating STEM into your LARP. But remember above all… make your adventure fun and engaging. Incorporate creative storytelling and believable characters that players can interact with, as well as exciting challenges. This is how your players are more likely to want to continue playing and learn more about STEM concepts.

Guardian Adventures provides consulting and a free LARP for afterschool programs, summer camps, amusement & attraction industries, and more.

LARP, or live action role play, can be a tool (or perhaps a better term is “vehicle”) in education that involves students role-playing various characters or scenarios in order to learn and understand new concepts. Educational LARPs are also known as EduLARPs.

Subjects for study can vary from SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) to academics like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Which learning concepts the teacher wants to explore can determine the best story for the experience (what we call “Adventure” or “Module”).

LARP can be effective in teaching for a variety of reasons:

LARP promotes active learning: LARP requires students to actively participate in the learning process, rather than simply listening to lectures or reading materials. This can make learning more engaging and interactive, and can help students to better retain and understand the information being presented. As well, if time for active reflection is provided after the adventure, LARP can improve transfer of this knowledge into both the academic setting as well as their personal lives.
LARP encourages critical thinking: LARP can encourage students to think critically about the information being presented, as they must consider the perspectives and motivations of different characters and make decisions based on that information. This can help students to develop their critical thinking skills. It can also make room for “in-game” (during the adventure) consequences which shows why the critical thinking skills are important.
LARP can be inclusive: LARP can be inclusive and culturally sensitive, as it allows students to bring their own experiences and perspectives to the role-playing scenarios. Allowing a student to bring their full, authentic self into the learning environment can improve their sense of belonging and therefore motivation. As well, by using scenarios from a variety of cultures and viewpoints, teachers can create a more diverse and inclusive learning environment.
LARP can be adaptable: LARP is flexible and can be adapted to a variety of different subjects and age levels. Teachers can use LARP to teach a wide range of concepts, from language and literature to STEM and history by making the successful outcome of an adventure dependent upon this knowledge. LARP can also be useful in Informal Learning environments where participants want an immersive learning experience.
LARP can teach SEL: LARP can provide a safe environment for participants to exercise positive social behaviors and relationships with their peers and adults. The safety to explore and decide which directions they want to take their character encourages students to bring those decisions to their lives. They build their own sense of moral, purpose, self-awareness and confidence which leads to decreased emotional distress, reduced risk-taking behavior, improved test scores, grades and attendance.
LARP can be entertaining: LARP can be a fun and enjoyable way to learn, which can help to create a positive and welcoming classroom environment.
LARP can teach Improv: Improvisational skills are vital in both the workplace and personal life. If the adventure is getting boring, a teacher can use improv to adjust the interactions and make the story more exciting.

LARP can be a challenge to use in educational settings if the students or teacher are confused by the “game” aspect of the adventure. This can best be addressed by creating a simplified LARP system that can be easily and quickly understood. Other venues, like summer camps, can have time to explore a more complete LARP system that can be profoundly immersive.

And yet, LARP can be a powerful and effective tool for engaging and educating students. By using LARP in the classroom, teachers can create a more dynamic, interactive, and inclusive learning environment, and help students to better understand and remember important concepts.

About: Guardian Adventures provides free and licensed educational games, adventures, and LARP systems for summer camps, schools, and recreation organizations.

October 19th or 20th at 11am on Zoom

Join us for an exciting online card game that tests your math skills while learning about different levels of cultural competency.

This is a free an online event funded by Mass STEM Week for ages 16 and up which is divided into three parts:

Varying level of math challenges where you can recruit assistance from other players – or not
Trade, give, or accept cards with other players to try and achieve a winning hand
Open discussion and debrief about the experience and how it applies to real life

How it works:

Register below by October 17th. There are limited spots so be sure to register ASAP.
You will be emailed instructions about how to play the game as well as your starting “hand” of cards. Your hand and your rules may be very different from other players.
PLEASE go through the instructions and email any questions you have before the event begins. If you wait until the event starts to go through the instructions there may not be time to answer your questions and you may not have sufficient playing time.
You will be sent the Zoom link before the start of the event. Make sure to have your name display be the same as your registered name or you may not be admitted to the event.
You should have some comfort in navigating Zoom and writing instant messages on Zoom.
If you are more than 5 minutes late, you may not be accepted into the event as the game will begin promptly.
You do not need to know advanced math to participate.

If you have questions contact us via our website. Are you an educator? Fee free to post our event flyer!

In order to participate, please fill out the form below no later than Monday, October 17th. There are limited spots available on each day so please register soon.

This game was developed in partnership with Andrew Peterson, teacher of Game Design at Ferris State University, and Genein Letford, Chief Creative Officer and Intercultural Creativity Trainer at CAFFE Strategies.

Meghan Gardner in Korea 2019

This summer, I was once again honored to visit Seoul, South Korea as a lead trainer for the STEM Initiative, an educational alliance between ST Unitas (the parent company of The Princeton Review), professors from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Guardian Adventures.

The trip was filled with training, meetings, visiting local destinations, and a banquet of learning for all of us. As well as meeting our team of 20 teachers and over 100 students, I had the opportunity to interview one of the top executives of ST Unitas who was present at the company’s start: Vision Director Kahee Kim.

My interview with Ms. Kim was eye-opening to me on the cultural differences between Asia and the USA as it pertains to education, business, and even how certain words like “innovation” are defined. If you are interested in knowing more, join me in the LinkedIn group about Informal Education & Learning. I will be posting articles there about various interviews I conduct with individuals from around the world as we explore what Informal Learning and Education is and why it’s important.

Each day, Dr. Uche Amaechi and I would be picked up and brought to Seoul National University. Found in 1946, SNU is considered the most prestigious university in the country (with an international tuition of $5,500 a year – no, that’s not a typo). We trained the teachers in the curriculum based on the story that all of the students are Mars colonists and trying to survive on Mars while also trying to expand beyond the solar system.

On the last day in Seoul, just as we were leaving for the airport, our hosts asked us to chat with the students who had just arrived for the start of the first session of camp. Disregarding the fact that both Uche and I were in our informal travel clothes in preparation for a 14 hour plane trip, we agreed to meet with the kids and cheered them on as they stepped into the educational adventure we helped create. During the meet & greet, we had the opportunity to talk up our Winter Camp where kids from Korea visit the US to attend classes at Harvard and then an immersive adventure at Guardian Adventures.

Outside of working with the generous and diligent students, teachers, and business executives at the STEM Initiative, I was also provided with exquisite culinary experiences, jaw-dropping walks through Seoul’s largest Buddhism temple, and endearing conversations with a number of people about their day-to-day lives and Korean culture.

If you haven’t been to Seoul and have the opportunity, I highly recommend it. It is a very modern city with gorgeous architecture that looks as if it were designed either 100 years into the future or 500 years into the past. It’s immensely clean (the subway station especially) and safe. Many of the residents speak English and are excited about sharing their beautiful city with foreigners.

I came home to discover that Guardian Adventures has been contracted by another international organization to develop educational programs for their clients. We will share more about this project after the news goes public in November. But we are very excited to see our company expanding into the global market and helping students of all ages all over the world learn through our educational adventures. Stay tuned and let’s make this journey together.

About the Author:

Meghan Gardner is the founder of Guard Up, Inc. which owns and operates Wizards & Warriors and Zombie Summer Camps, programs and events. These educational camps and events are STEM and story-based experience where instead of watching movies or playing video games about heroes, mythological creatures, mystery, and adventure, the campers get to live it. Kids and teens spend the summer playing a character of their own design and fighting monsters with foam swords or NERF Blasters, physics, biology, chemistry, and more. Gardner is also a STEM Curriculum Designer for ST Unitas (the parent company of The Princeton Review), a guest lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education and other major universities, and an international speaker on the topic of Informal Education and Learning for all ages.

Screen-Shot-2019-02-28-at-5.21.29-PM.png

Normally Mars is 33.9 million miles from Earth. But for a few days this past January, Mars got a whole lot closer.

After the success of Guardian Adventures founder, Meghan Gardner’s work on the Mission to Mars STEM summer camps in Seoul, Korea last summer, ST Unitas (the parent company of The Princeton Review and the largest Tech Ed company in all of Asia), decided to send their campers to the USA this winter that would take educational adventures to a whole new level.

Students from Seoul, Korea joined The STEM Initiative, a collaboration between ST Unitas, professors and staff from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Guard Up’s Guardian Adventures. This first of its kind collaboration integrates traditional STEM-based learning principles with informal education — experiential and student-driven processes that foster learning through hands-on activity.

Keep the Campfire Burning with Off Season Online LARPs

Phantom Physics: The Quest for the Hidden Particle

October 18 at 10am EDT on Zoom

(16:00 GMT+2 in Geneva, Switzerland)

THIS EVENT HAS RUN.

CHECK OUT THE FREE PHANTOM PHYSICS COURSE ON HOW TO RUN THIS IN YOUR CLASSROOM.

We hope you will join us next year during STEM Week!

Join us for an exciting online adventure:

How to incorporate STEM into your LARP

Why Use LARP in Education?

Intercultural Math Game

October 19th or 20th at 11am on Zoom

STEM Around the World

Meghan Gardner in Korea 2019

About the Author:

A Trip to Mars

Normally Mars is 33.9 million miles from Earth. But for a few days this past January, Mars got a whole lot closer.

About