Healthy Holidays: 12/20 Report

The 12/20 module went well. About 20 people took part, twice that of 12/18. The high traffic spot really helped attract attention. Emphasizing the project as a "create a comic activity" rather than a chance to get candy made it appeal more to parents.

The idea of making comics appealed to many kids. I had one 3-year old boy who made 4 comics by himself after realizing that the more comics he created the more candy he could get. At 3, I think he's the youngest child to make a comic unaided.

I was surprised by the number of children who weren't interested in making comics. Many of them just wanted to get on the computer to play games. Fortunately, the Squirrel Library uses a program that automatically limits how long a child can spend on the computer. I managed to get a couple kids who initially expressed little interest after they'd used up their online time.

The 12/20 session may or may not be the last one. I may hold 1 more Healthy Holiday session on Monday, 12/22, depending on the weather. We'll see. Even if I stop now, though, I've collected enough info to start planning for April 2009 and National Public Health Week.