Thanksgiving at 808-812!

We recently celebrated Thanksgiving, and decided to ask the kids of 808-812 what they were thankful for. Check out the video below, and don't forget to always count your blessings!

The value of money!

The kids here at 808-812 recently did an activity designed to teach them the value of ALL money, not just bills.

They received a jar of coins and were told that they could use it for a new Xbox game, with one catch: they had to count and sort the coins on their own!

Working as a team, the kids were able to count up all of the coins and earn enough money to buy a game of their choice. They chose NBA 2k13, and learned the value of coins in the process. Check out the video below!

Candy Apples!

Last week, the kids of 808 and 812 got to have another cooking class with the Cocoa Lady. This time, they made a delicious fall treat: candy apples!

The kids each got to make their own apple, including covering it with caramel/candy coating and dipping it in chocolate chips! The kids also learned how the nutrients in apples are good for them, and can even help with headaches.

Check out the slideshow of pictures below!

The 808 Report: September 12th

The kids have all gone back to school, and unfortunately that means less time for fun. With homework, projects, studying, and the need for some downtime and fun after a long day at school, our 808 Reports may not be as frequent in the coming weeks.

We hope to keep doing them whenever we get a chance! Here's our most recent one, from Sept. 12th:

The 808 Report: August 15th

This week's edition of The 808 Report features a report on a recent cooking class with the Cocoa Lady, as well as a look at Roblox, one of the 808-812 kids' favorite games to play.

Check it out below!

Why We Love National Night Out

With the help of the teens of the MYSEP, we created a video featuring the kids of 808-812, as well as other members of the community, talking about why they love National Night Out. Answers ranged from cupcakes to community, and everything in between!

808 Recycles Gets Honored!

At last week's National Night Out, our very own 808 Recycles group was honored with a certificate from the city of Cambridge and Winn Residential in honor of the kids' work in promoting recycling around the 808-812 Community.

Representatives from the city included the mayor of Cambridge, Henrietta Davis. The kids were very proud, and it proved that hard work in raising awareness can pay off!

Great job, guys! Check out a video of the certificate presentation below.

808 Report, August 8th

Below is last week's edition of the 808 Report. We covered all things National Night Out, so check it out!

New video: Stay Active!

Here at 808, we've tried to incorporate living a healthy lifestyle into our "808 Recycles" program, moving from just keeping the earth healthy to keeping the youth of 808 and 812 healthy too.

With that in mind, the teens of the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP) started a weekly newsletter, the 808 Health Smash, that talks about making better lifestyle choices and staying more active, and also created the video you'll see below.

The video, called "Stay Active, Stay Hydrated, and Stay Fit!" reminds kids to get off of the couch for a while and go out and play this summer. It was created, written, shot, and directed entirely by the MSYEP teens, and we think they did a great job!

Check it out below!

Behind the Scenes of The 808 Report



In this picture we see 808 Reporter Paulos getting ready to film a segment of the 808 Report, as he runs through his lines one last time with (left to right) Josh and Fernandes.

In this picture we see 808 Reporter Paulos as he is filming a segment part of the 808 Report and along side his camera crew (left to right) Josh and Fernandes


Written By: Feldano Francois

Pictures from our New Videos!

These are the photos from the the latest edition of the "808 Report" and also photos from the Neighbor to Neighborhood cook out.

 808 Report reporter Matthew interviews two kids who went on the

 trip to the Franklin Park Zoo.

                                                         

Doodie tells Matthew was his favorite Animal at the Zoo.

Yonatan demonstrates how to recycle are the trip to the Zoo.

(Left to Right) Josh, Ayana, Mieron and Martha as they prepare to serve popcorn to the community.

808 Report reporter  Sirak interviews Ariam about what she looks foward to on her trip to Canobie Lake Park.

(left to right) Adem and Sara and Allison  are having a good time at the Neighbor to Neighborhood Cookout.

A child dancing to the tune of Party Rock.

Jenny The Juggler as she explains why she Loves the 808-812 community

Written By Feldano Francois.

The 808 Report: June 27th, 2012

Here's the latest edition of the 808 Report with Feldano Francois!

This week, we covered a recent field trip to the Franklin Park Zoo, and also talked with kids about the upcoming field trip to Canobie Lake Park!

Check it out below!

Neighbor to Neighbor Cookout!

On June 5th, 808-812 Memorial Drive hosted its annual "Neighbor to Neighbor Cookout," a chance for residents of 808 and 812 to get out and mingle with their neighbors while enjoying great food and having a lot of fun.

This year, we had one of the teens from 808 record footage of the event, and we later edited it into a cool little video about the whole cookout. We've got everything from kids enjoying the bounce house to people telling us what they love about living at 808-812 Memorial Drive.

Check it out below!

The First Episode of the 808 Report!

The kids at 808 and 812 like to know what's going on around them, so we decided to turn that into a fun project. On Wednesday, we decided to make our own news program, "The 808 Report." The kids designed the set, came up with story ideas, did the filming, audio, and music, and did all of the acting.

It came out great, and our big story this week is on summer vacation. We hope to do this once a week, probably each Wednesday, but may switch it to once every two weeks instead.

Enjoy! If you have any story ideas, let us know!

808 Recycles Golf Tournament!

We had a few rainy days last week, so we decided to spice things up with a little competition: the first 808 Recycles Golf Tournament! We had four kids play a round of golf on the Xbox Kinect, while other kids recorded the action on video cameras.

After we were finished, we shot some more footage out in the courtyard and lobby, and interviewed the kids for their thoughts on the game. Finally, we had the kids talk about the game they had seen, and then edited it all into a sports highlight reel.

It came out great, and the kids were very proud of their work. Check out the video below!

Making Smoothies!

Last week, we were lucky enough to have another cooking class with the Cocoa Lady. We've already made turkey wraps, tuna wraps, and fudge, and this time we made a cool summer treat: smoothies!

We made smoothies with berries, bananas, protein, and a touch of sugar, and they came out great! Check out the video below for some pictures from the event. We had a great time; thanks again, Cocoa Lady and Management Office!

NAHMA Poster Contest Video!

As promised, here's a video/slideshow of some pictures of the kids and teens participating in the NAHMA's poster contest. The youth did a great job, and we hope we have some winning posters in this bunch!

NAHMA Poster Contest

Here at 808-812, we've had a number of kids and teens participating in the NAHMA's poster contest. This year's theme is "Take the Next Step: Let's Take Care of Our World." The kids have been using crayons, markers, colored pencils, and more to create their works of art in hopes of winning the top prize: $2,500 and a trip to Washington D.C.! 

The kids have done a great job, and are proud of their work. Here are a few pictures from the poster-making days; there will be a video with more, including the finished products, in a little bit. 

Above: Sabrin, Asmaa, Shahir, Abdullah, and Sirak hard at work.

Below: Abdullah uses a ruler to get his lines perfectly straight.

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Above: The posters got more detailed as the kids worked on them in the Activity Room.

Below: Wilanda adds some color to the globe on her poster.

Pictures from Fun Day!

During April Vacation, the Management Office held a "Fun Day" for the kids and teens across the street at Riverside Press Park.

We played basketball, tag, Old Lady Witch, soccer, and more. We also got to enjoy pizza from Riverside Cafe, along with juiceboxes and water. The weather was beautiful, and the kids and teens had a great time playing a variety of games.

Check out the video below for some photos from the day. Thanks to the Management Office for making it all happen!

Another cooking class!

Back in March, we had a great time cooking fudge with Ms. Releigh, the Cocoa Lady. The Cocoa Lady was kind enough to have another cooking class for us two weeks ago, and we made tuna and turkey wraps, complete with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and homemade dressing!

The kids had a great time making the wraps, and more than one said it was "the best lunch ever!"

Check out the video below for some pictures from the class. Thanks again, Cocoa Lady!

Fantasy Hockey Champion!

The NHL season recently ended, and the playoffs began. With the end of the NHL's regular season came the end of our Fantasy Hockey season, one that began waaaaaaaay back in October.

Mike calculated the final results, and our first champion, with 925 points, was Feldano! In second place, just 20 points behind, was Nebil, and Jhkyos finished in third place.

For winning the league, Feldano got a new Bruins hat to show off his Boston hockey pride, and he's been wearing every day since.

The kids and teens enjoyed following their teams and checking the standings, and learned a little more about hockey too. It was fun, and we look forward to doing it again next season.

Until then, it's the playoffs, so Go Bruins!

Above: Feldano holds up the final standings, showing him in first place!
Below: Feldano, wearing the Bruins hat he won as the first place prize, shows that he's "Number One" in Fantasy hockey!

Painting in the Activity Room!

Taking a break from Xbox, Molly and Ayana helped the younger kids do some painting recently in the Activity Room. The kids helped set up and clean up after the activity, and in between they made some awesome pictures that we used to brighten up the Activity Room.

Check out the pictures below!

Above: Getting set up for the painting!
Below: The painting is under way!

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Above: Ayana helping the kids with their paintings.
Below: The finished pictures, laid out to dry! It looks like a museum!

March Madness Projects!

Towards the end of March, kids in the 6th grade at the Morse school had a project to do involving the NCAA's "March Madness" tournament. The kids were each assigned a team, and had to create a poster for that team including team colors, graphs and charts, and other useful information.

The kids chose to use the CLC to do their projects, printing out logos and pictures, graphs, and charts, and using supplies to set up their posters.

They came out great, and the kids all got good grades. Nice job, guys!

Above: Shahir's UNLV poster
Below: The kids' unfinished projects.

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Above: Asmaa working on her Notre Dame poster.
Below: Abdullah and Asmaa, hard at work.

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Above: Shahir takes a quick break from working on his poster.

Paulos plays the Piano!

A video of Paulos, one the kids of 808-812 Memorial Drive, playing part of a popular song on the keyboard. He was taught how to play it by Mark, and he sounded great!

Youth Council Meeting!

Last week, the 808-812 Youth Council met on its own for the first time. The young adults had pizza and soda provided for them (thanks, Management Office!), and they discussed a variety of things. Big topics included ways to give back to the community and possible field trips for April Vacation.

Considering that this was the first time the group met on its own (the only oversight was the presence of an Activity Room instructor, and he stayed on the edges of the discussion to allow the youth to carry the dialog), the meeting went very well. The youth were comfortable discussing their ideas and plans with their peers, perhaps even more so than usual because there were no adults/parents/neighbors present.

We think that this group will be a great way for these young adults to not only get better programs for themselves, but also to help them learn how to present and submit activity proposals professionally.

We're currently typing up the notes from the meeting (taken diligently by the secretary, Feldano), and will be submitting them to the Management Office soon!

Above: The youth enjoyed pizza and soda prior to the start of the meeting.

Above and below: The Youth Council in action, discussing ways to make their experiences at 808-812 Memorial Drive even better.

Learning to Fly

Recently, Microsoft released a free version of their popular "Flight Simulator" game. We installed the game on a few of the computers, and let some of the kids earn their virtual wings.

The kids had a lot of fun piloting the plane through various scenarios, including landing on water, landing in bad weather, flying through rings, and more.

The game is pretty cool, and can be downloaded for free here.

Above: Sirak uses some body language to try to prevent his plane from crashing.
Below: Ayoub makes a perfect landing!

Above and below: The kids crowd around the computer screen to watch each other's flight skills.

Making Basketball Jerseys

All of the kids at 808-812 love basketball, so last week we decided to do a craft project that combined basketball with creativity: making basketball jerseys! First, Molly cut out the basic jersey shape, and from there the kids were allowed to do whatever they wanted to them: add paint, numbers, shapes, and more.

The kids then laid their jerseys out to dry, and after that, we made a nameplate for each one and hung them on one of the Activity Room bulletin boards. The kids had a blast making them, and they came out great!

Above: The paints are all ready to be used!
Below: The jerseys before they were painted (don't worry, that paint came off the table, it's washable).

Above: Ariam helps lay out the wet jerseys.
Below: The finished jerseys, waiting to dry.

Above: Yoni's jersey.
Below: Isaiah's jersey.

Above: Sara's jersey.
Below: Ariam's jersey.

Below: The finished jerseys, brightening up the Activity room wall!

Cooking Fudge with Cocoa Lady

On Wednesday, we were lucky enough to have a cooking class with the Cocoa Lady. We learned how to make healthy fudge from scratch, including fillings like nuts and dried fruit. We also learned about eating healthily, controlling our portion sizes, and how to calm ourselves with a series of breathing exercises.

It was a fun afternoon, and the fudge was delicious. Thanks again, Cocoa Lady!

A Regular Day in the Activity Room

Last week, we decided to have one of our Activity Room assistants, Wilanda, document a regular day in the Activity Room. She took a bunch of pictures of the various happenings, and we put them into a slideshow. Enjoy a peek inside a standard day in 808's Activity Room!

Captain Green and the Recycling Team

Back in February, we decided that we wanted to create a short video on the importance of recycling. After discussing it with the kids, we came up with the idea of Captain Green, a sort of recycling superhero, and his sidekicks, the Recycling Team. Below is the first in what we hope will be a series of Captain Green appearances.

And remember: every bottle counts! Recycle more, trash less!

Arts and Crafts Wall!

Even though we have a lot of cool new technology in the Activity Room, nothing beats old-fashioned arts and crafts. With the help of our new Activity Room/CLC assistants, Ayana and Wilanda, we set up a new "Arts and Crafts Wall" on one of the unused bulletin boards in the Activity Room. Check out a picture of it below; we hope to have it all filled up with great works of art sometime soon!

February Vacation Field Trips!

We were lucky enough to go on two different field trips on February Vacation: one to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and one to the MIT Museum in Kendall Square. The kids had a great time on both trips, and it was great that the outings were both fun and helped the kids learn some things.

They got to do things like touch a turtle, handle crystals and fossils, see dinosaur bones that are millions of years old, learn about simple machines and robots, and see some of the coolest holograms on the planet.

The kids talked about each trip for days afterwards, and they all had a great time. Below is a slideshow of pictures from both trips. Thanks again to the Management Office for making these trips happen!

Tickling the Ivories

With our new keyboard and microphone, we've been trying to encourage the kids to try their hand at making music. One of the youth, Fernandes, has always had an interest in the piano, and in fact has his own keyboard at home that he plays around with.

He's able to play the introduction to the song "I Need a Doctor," and can also play parts of "Dynamite," two songs the kids know very well.

Fernandes is practicing almost every day, and as you can see from the video below, he's getting better and better. It's great to see the progress he's making!

Even Kids Love Kinect!

The Xbox Kinect is designed to be fun for kids of all ages, and though kids between 8-12 are the most "into" the games, we even have some younger kids who enjoy playing.

Last week, while the "older" kids were working on a point-earning project, two young kids, Ariam and Isaiah, took advantage of the free Kinect time and played "Just Dance 3." They had smiles on their faces the entire time, and it was great to see them having a blast!

Above and below: Isaiah and Ariam showing off their "Just Dance" moves.

Music: the First Finished Product

As followers of this blog know, we've been attempting to start a music program here in the new Activity Room at 808. With a new keyboard, a microphone, and Garage Band on our Mac Mini, we've been able to make a number of beats, and even record a song or two.

Recently, one of the harder-working teens who wants to be a music producer when he gets older, put the finishing touches on his first beat. It's something he made on his own, with just a little bit of coaching from an Activity Room instructor.

His music name is "DJ Shock," and with some help from the CLC instructor, we were able to create a logo, and insert that logo and his song into a video that could be posted on YouTube. We put it up on Friday, and it already has 13 "likes" and over 80 views!

We're very proud of how his song came out, and hope that he can continue to make more! The song and video can be seen/listened to below.

808-812 Makes Music!

We recently acquired a keyboard, a microphone, and some high-quality headphones for the Activity Room, enabling us to put our music program into effect.

Using this new equipment and the Mac Mini we've had for a while, we are able to use a program called Garage Band to make a wide variety of music, from rock to rap to techno.

An Activity Room instructor brought his electric guitar from home for the youth to play around with, and, even though they didn't know how to play much, they had a great time messing around and jamming on it.

Later on, we were able to use the keyboard to make a "beat" that a youth wrote a rap for. We then used the microphone to record her rap; after just a couple of hours, we had recorded a 30-second song!

We've had the equipment for about a week, and we've already done a lot with it. We can't wait to see what we come up with in the future!

Above: Zarriah preparing to record her song, a rap she wrote herself.
Below: Doodie showing his brother his guitar skills.

Above: Shahir making some music on the electric guitar.
Below: Sura and Asmaa using the guitar and beat-making program.

Below: Martha, Lena, and Sarah working on some music of their own.

Restarting the Recycling!

In an effort to improve recycling scores across the buildings and to give the kids and teens a chance to "give back," we've restarted the 808-812 Recycles! program.

Activity Room workers are going to be encouraging the kids to recycle, while also having them help sort and collect bottles, cans, and papers. We already have a few bins set up in the Activity Room, and our first recycling afternoon was very successful.

We had over a dozen kids and teens come to help us out, and we hope to get a recycling "crew" started, a designated group that will work on recycling on a weekly basis.

Below are some pictures of our new recycling set up. If you have any recyclables, feel free to drop them off at the Activity Room or Computer Lab, and the recycling crew will take care of them for you!

Above: The kids recycled a bunch of scrap paper and packed it away neatly.
Below: The updated and revamped "recycling corner."

Below: Another view of the "recycling corner."