Dedham Public Schools Partner with FableVision/Reynolds TLC to Launch “Camp Spark” Summer Creativity Program

Collaboration with Dedham Public School Provides Students with New, Digital Media Arts & Creativity Learning Program

From digital journalism, to interactive game design, and 3D engineering design and animation, participating Dedham Public Schools elementary students are sure to have a creative summer at Camp Spark, an all-new summer learning program, designed in collaboration with a team of DPS educators. This summer, the program was offered to students with academic support needs.  The new creativity program enhances Dedham Public Schools’ growing list of innovative offerings of extended school year academic programming.

“We’re so excited to offer the Camp Spark program right here in our own backyard,” said Dedham resident and New York Times #1 best-selling children’s book author Peter H. Reynolds, who helped found and launch the newly-opened TLC Studios at 390 Washington St. in Dedham Square. TLC Studios is the latest venture from the nonprofit Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity (RC-TLC).  Peter adds, “When my twin brother Paul and I were young, we actually started our own newspaper and comic book company. It’s exciting to give the Dedham students the same opportunity to learn not only creativity skills, but also other critical life skills such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking.”

The Camp Spark program launched on June 24 with a day of educator professional development at Reynolds Center’s TLC Studios, the brand-new media/maker lab in Dedham Square, with support from the Reynolds brothers’ K-8 educational services company FableVision Learning. TLC Studios is a digital audio/video/animation production and live-streaming studios, a podcasting studio, AR/VR resources, an engineering design and fabrication Maker Lab, as well as state-of-the-art presentation space and professional development workshop space.

 “We see this as the start of a powerful collaboration between TLC Studios and Dedham Public Schools to provide innovative learning opportunities that all students can access,” says Dr. Heather Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning.

“We’re proud to open the doors at TLC Studios, for the first time, to Dedham educators,” said Andrea Calvin, vice president of FableVision/Reynolds TLC. “From animation to creating 3D designs, creativity was flowing - and confidence was growing to, as we say, ‘Create Bravely.’”

Teachers and administrators from Dedham Public Schools visited TLC Studios on June 24th for the hands-on workshop.

The training set the stage for the summer as students embark on their own creative journeys. During Camp Spark’s We’ve Got News! program, students will explore different newsroom roles, from editors to artists/illustrators/photographers and reporters who will collaborate to build the Camp Spark digital newspaper. Assignments will cover art, interviews, news articles, and comics, all integrated into an on-line, multimedia newspaper. Students will also use FableVision’s Animation-ish, an easy-to-use, web-based animation program designed by Peter H. Reynolds and his edtech development team at Boston-based Fablevision Studios.

In the following weeks, campers will have the opportunity to design and build their own board game in the Game Design program strand. Working in teams, students will explore the different forms of game development - from role playing, to card games, to story-based board games. Students will develop the story behind their game, the game play rules, the physical board and pieces. Students will use FableVision’s FabMaker Studio, a paper-prototyping engineering design and fabrication program to develop their designs.

“It’s a dream come true to be able to open TLC Studios - a space where educators can recharge their creative batteries and receive the support they need to nurture positive, purposeful creativity in their classrooms," said Paul Reynolds, co-founder and Executive Director of RC-TLC. "Creativity and innovation are essential skills for empowering students to become creative problem solvers and agents of positive change."

TLC Studios will be rolling out programming for educators, students, and the community.

A public open house celebration is being planned for this fall. For more information and to stay up to date with events, sign up for our newsletter using the button below.