ZigZag Agile Learning Community

We're wrapped up for the semester, and we still have a few spots remaining for fall semester! We start back up September 1st. If you're interested in joining us, fill out the contact form on our website athttps://zigzagalc.org/contact/

We were so excited that our yearbooks arrived in the nick of time (delivered during drop-off on our last day)! This spring semester we had a yearbook class where students could design their own yearbook pages. What a joy to see their creativity and uniqueness put into our treasured yearbook!

Hope everyone has an amazing summer! We'll be back to regular posting when fall semester starts.

The temp may have been high on Thursday, but so was the joy, fun, and community connection at our end of semester carnival!

So many fun games, yummy concessions, and sweet prizes to be had. Funzo the Clown and the Dunk Tank were also definitely a hit!

So proud of all the kids that worked so hard to make the carnival come together (the adults took over running games so the kids could fully enjoy the carnival experience). What a way to celebrate what has been a great semester!

This semester we offered a Carnival Class where students have been hard at work designing and creating games and planning the details of our ZigZag Carnival! You are invited to join us as it all comes together on our last day of the semester with a Carnival for the community.

ZigZag Carnival
June 11th, 12-3pm
ZigZag Agile Learning Community, 24 Thompson Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

Details:
12-1 Games and Concessions Open
1-2 Dunk Tank, Games, Prizes Station, and Concessions Open
2-3 Gaga Ball Tournament, Co****le Tournament and Pizza

Free entry and everyone gets 20 coin on arrival - $10 for 20 more!
Free raffle entry for a Lightening Pass (drawing at 12:30pm)
Lightening Pass $25
Dunk Tank Tickets $1

When the kids request more water themed games and activities during the hot weather...Keli delivers!

Last Wednesday had a beach themed afternoon complete with a foam machine, beach music, tropical drinks, and a water hose added to the sandbox for making rivers and dams. The fun didn't end when the weather turned from sunny to rainy. Kids took advantage of nature's water play opportunity!

4 spots remaining for our Summer Creativity Camp!
We'll be using various artistic methods and upcycling to create wearable art.

Summer camp is open to all ages 8+. You do not need to be a ZigZagger to attend. Scan the QR code on the flyer or visit zigzagalc.org/events to register.

Summer Creativity Camp: Wearable Art
June 29 - July 3, 9:30am - 3:30pm
Cost: $400, All materials and supplies provided.

It got hot last week! 🌞This inspired lots of water play to keep cool (and have fun). Wet sponge relay and other water/ice activities took place on the music house deck. And the sandbox got a kiddie pool of water for playing, which was especially helpful for the 3D-printed dragons to cool off in.

We are so lucky to have mentors from the larger Asheville community for some of our classes. Some are with us just for a semester, and some continue from semester to semester (based on the students' interests and the mentor's availability).

And sometimes transitions happen because of life changes. Our soccer and fitness mentor, Preston, has been with us for over four years. Last week he played his final soccer game with us on Thursday before moving away from Asheville. Everyone who has ever played soccer joined for one big, epic game, followed by a heartfelt send-off with a card and cake bites. Preston has been a true force of positivity and inspiration for the kids over the years, and we feel so lucky to have had him with us!

Our spring theatre performance is coming up! This semester rather than putting on a traditional play, students have been working with ensemble-based and guerrilla theatre techniques. Come out and see what they've been working on, The Court of Future Generations, a courtroom-style climate play!

Date and Time: Friday, 5/29 at 3:30pm (approximately 20 minutes long)
Location: Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St, Asheville, NC 28801

Through this play, our theatre students aren't just learning about acting. They are also learning about environmental concerns and climate activism. Last week this included a zoom meeting with a climate scientist. The students listened intently to what he had to say and brought their own insightful questions to him (where they were raw and honest in their wondering about the future).

As always, our market was a lovely community event! There was selling, buying, and most importantly...fun!

Reminder that self-directed learning doesn't mean no structured activities. It means following the lead of the learners and supporting them along the way. Sometimes that can even look like worksheets! One student has requested math worksheets, so we followed that lead and provided worksheets and the space/time to work on them. This led to a group of other curious students joining.

While one student chose a more traditional style worksheet, most found these color by number ones (where you need to solve an equation to get the number for the corresponding color) enjoyable.